Our Catalpa Trees

We have two Catalpa Trees planted on Gohn Greene Farms, both of which were planted by the previous owner. They're beautiful shade trees and they don't lose a lot of limbs so they're not too difficult to maintain or clean up after, although I hear the flowers can be slippery if planted near sidewalks. The large heart shaped leaves and iris like flowers are stunning in the Springtime!  

They'll produce large bean like pods and release their seeds in the fall, but the pods often hang on the tree well into the winter. This unusual habit has earned them some interesting nicknames like Indian Bean Tree and Cigar Tree. It is also sometimes spelled Catawba but technically Catawba refers to a Native American tribe, while Catalpa is the correct spelling for the tree.

It's leaves, seeds, bark and pods have been used for centuries to create concoctions for medicinal purposes. The root is said to be too strong for medicinal use and is considered mildly toxic. I don't plan on using it in this manner and I suspect it wasn't planted for such either.

Another common use for the tree is attracting it's main pest, the Catalpa Sphinx moth. The Catalpa tree is the sole source of food for this moth. Fisherman often call the caterpillars "Catalpa Worms". These Catalpa worms make excellent fish bait, particularly for catfish. Their thick skin and large 3-4" length makes it easy to keep them on the hook long enough to hook a big ole catfish. I haven't seen any of the Catalpa worms yet, but I'm eager to try out my home grown fish bait at the lake!