Wildlife Uses of Ginkgo Trees

Characteristics of the Ginko Tree

• Ginkgo trees grow to a height of 50 feet to 80 feet tall. Although the male trees are popular as plantings in parks and along streets, they have a tendency to outgrow the space provided by this usage because of their broad-spreading tendency. Ginkgo is a gymnosperm, a deciduous conifer. The leaves are leathery, fan-shaped, and semi-divided in the center with parallel central veins in each lobe. In the autumn they turn a uniform gold. This color display lasts for a couple of weeks; the leaves then drop within a short space of time from each other.

Wildlife Habitat

• As with many other trees the ginkgo provides a habitat for arboreal birds and animals. Ginkgoes have been cultivated for thousands of years. At one time it was thought there were no longer any wild ginkgoes left. The majority of ginkgoes are ornamental plantings or trees used for the production of medicinal materials. The birds and animals that use the ginkgo tree for habitat vary as to the location of the tree.

Wildlife Diet

• Ginkgo biloba contains ginkgols, ginkgolides and other constituents. The leaves are used in veterinary and human homeopathy. It is noted in medicinal studies that these components were observed as toxic in high doses. Ginkgols and ginkolides are urushiol-type alkyphenols, similar to cashew shells, poison ivy and poison oak. It has serious problems with insects or diseases. The fruits also contain ginkgols and ginkgolides, and while they attract flies, they are not appetizing to wildlife. The nuts inside the fruits are harvested by people and eaten after cleaning off the fruit, removing the shell and cooking the nut.

Human Uses For Ginko Trees

• The ginkgo tree is primarily used and planted by people. The early origins of the tree date back to the Mesozoic era when they were distributed worldwide. Subsequent geophysical events destroyed most wild stands of ginkgoes around the world. The existing trees today are specimens that are descended from a small group that survived the last great ice age. They have been cultivated by monks for many thousands of years. It is not known which animal species may have fed off them to create the widespread distribution they possessed during the Jurassic and Triassic era. However, mankind is responsible for their current widespread distribution. The wildlife that uses the ginkgo for habitat are those birds and animals like squirrels, most closely associated with human habitation.