ENTS,

Today I had to take a road trip to pick up some parts we had ordered for work. On the way I stopped at the Wawa convenience store to get a hoagie for lunch. After I backed into a parking space I happened to look across Route 30 and noticed a very big Catalpa in front of the main building of the Tomasello Winery. The tree was in full bloom but was starting to lose its flowers, unfortunately. I wish I had seen it last week. From my viewpoint across the highway from it, I'd estimate that it has a CBH of between 10 and 11 feet. It's definitely the largest Catalpa I've seen. Unfortunately I left my camera right here on the computer table when I left to drive out there, so I do not have a picture of it, yet. But tomorrow I plan on photographing it. The location of the winery and this beautiful tree is the Town of Hammonton, in Atlantic County, NJ. It's just east of the county line with Camden County.
What a tree. I can't wait to get back to you all with some pictures.
By the way, I've driven past the tree dozens of times and never noticed it before. (?)
 
Also my neighbor immediately to the north has one in front of his house. We can't see the trunk from the road, but we can see the top. It's quite a tall tree, relatively speaking.
 
Oh, and the exact species is Catalpa bignonioides.

Barry

[Barry Caselli, June 6, 2009 - Photos]

ENTS,
Okay folks. Here are the photos of the tree. I did not measure it. But I'd guess that the CBH is in the 10 to 11 foot range. This is a real beauty. I think it's possible that it has mulitple trunks fused together. But I'm not sure on that.
And by the way, that is not the Tomasello Winery at all. The winery building is next door to the one in the picture. I was mistaken.
And as a reminder, this is in the Town of Hammonton, Atlantic County, NJ.
The tree is Catalpa bignonioides, and is not native to the Pine Barrens. I really don't know if it's native elsewhere in New Jersey.
Sorry it was not a sunny day, so the photos are a bit dreary-looking, and the flowers on the tree are past their prime, unfortunately.
Barry