Amur Cork Tree

 If you look up amur cork trees in Wikipedia you will learn they have some amazing properties. Most interesting to me, amur cork trees can prevent the loss of cartilage in osteoarthritis patients. Maybe I should go chew on some branches right now! I could do that too. Although amur cork trees are native to the Amur valley in China, Korea, and Japan, there are several planted just ten blocks down the hill from me on Fourth Avenue in Duluth. The city planted amur cork trees because they are tolerant to living in city boulevards. These cork trees are not only tolerant, they like living in Duluth. In fact, they like living in Duluth SO MUCH that although the city planted only male trees to prevent the spread of a non-native species, some male amur cork trees can actually CHANGE THEIR GENDER to female so they can reproduce. Wow.  A plant that can change it's gender sounds like a character in a Marvel comic book to me. Along side Captain America, Black Widow, the Incredible Hulk, and Zeus will be Cork Tree!  So the city of Duluth is now going to remove those Amur cork trees. City workers are going to yank those 18 gender changing non-native trees right out of the boulevards and discard them. I vow to plant only native species from now on except house plants and except annuals.