The Catalpa Tree is an ornamental shade tree with uniquely beautiful characteristics every season. In the spring the catalpa tree has abundant white flowers which attract butterflies and caterpillars to any landscape. Heart-shaped leaves in the summer create a thick, dense shade which can shelter a home from excessive cooling costs. The large heart-shaped leaves of the Catalpa tree sometimes grow as large as a human head, and the dense shade of the Catalpa tree leaves will form an excellent habitat for wildlife bird nests and small game.
The fast growth of the Catalpa tree is remarkably useful as a shade tree, however, the wood is soft. In the fall, foot-long bean-shaped pods hang low and eventually turn brown, giving the tree its nickname, the "cigar tree". The tree is a fast-growing shade tree that provides a good source of free worms for fishing throughout the Summer months. Every fisherman would do well to have a few Catalpa Trees planted on his land to grow his own fish bait worms.Finally winter exposes the ornate, twisted branch structure beneath. Worms love to eat the large 1 ft. long leaves that grow on the Catalpa Tree.
