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This is a short ten minute musing on the wonders of the gingko tree. You may see gingko trees often lining your streets, but did you know that the gingko tree is actually one of the oldest species of tree or plant on earth? The gingko is sometimes referred to as a living fossil as its species is prehistoric.  In this episode I share a few details on what makes the gingko tree so remarkable from a scientific and symbolic perspective.  In Japanese culture the gingko is revered after surviving the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.  The 170 gingko trees were among the few living things to survive the blast and each are named and dedicated with their own plaque. The gingko tree is not only a physical relic from the dinosaurs but a living symbol not too different from the legend of the Phoenix. Its rise from ash however is not myth but truth,  everyone mistook the trees for dead until Spring for until then the exterior of the trees were completely dead. Gingkos have a highly structured cell system at their core called cambium which saved just enough energy for new growth . Check out Peter Crane's beautifully illustrated book, Gingko: The Tree That Time Forgot. I share a poem Crane includes in his book by Johann Goethe about the gingko. This musing is dedicated to my dad who deeply loves the Japanese people and their culture.