Cities Chop Down Stinky Ginko Trees

Ginko trees, which exist in the wild only in a tiny region of China, are bizarre. There are separate male and female trees

Because they give good shade and are very tolerant of the urban environment, many cities have planted ginko, including Philadelphia, Easton, Pa., and Iowa City.

Thing is — and this doesn't crop up until years after the beautiful trees are planted — the seeds of the female ginko tree contains butanoic acid. When the seeds fall — in droves this time of year — they smell like poo, rotten eggs, or puke (people have different impressions of the smell). Whatever, anyone who has lived and walked in an urban neighborhood where ginkos grow knows not to stop on the seeds.

Now Iowa city and others are chopping the stinkers down. One city official cited the stinky seeds' slippery factor as a safety concern, too.