Take Time To Smell The Tulip Poplar

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - While lots of littler trees have fabulous flowers down low where we can see them - such as dogwoods and crabapples and magnolias - and many towering trees like oaks have millions of teensy flowers we hardly notice, there are also some big trees with lovely large flowers that bloom so high in the sky we don't get to enjoy them up close.

Like our native tulip poplar tree Liriodendron tulipifera, which has a stunning yellow flower (that looks a lot like a tulip) with a bright orange center inside. But because they're atop trees that grow up to 100 feet high, and they don't bloom when they're younger and closer down to us, it's worth checking around while taking a walk this time of year to see if a few fell to the ground.

Put a tulip poplar flower in a vase to enjoy its bright beauty and fresh scent for a day or so. It's a chance to stop and smell a rather common flower most of us just don't usually get to see very much at all.