Red Buckeye March 29, 2014

 I planted this tree in December 2008.  I really like the shape of the leaves.  It blooms in the spring.  The flowers are tubular and very attractive to butterflies.  This tree has a tap root, so it is very drought tolerant.  But when the summer gets really hot - August time frame - Red Buckeyes drop their leaves.  It's a survival mechanism to help the tree make it through the driest part of the summer.  Basically it is bare branches 6 months of the year, a great tree for this area, but not for the front yard in a subdivision.