Silver Linden (Tilia tomentosa)

The leaves are shaped like the conventional heart in a deck of cards. The wood has a pale, creamy-brown color and wood-carvers have always preferred it as the best medium for fine wood sculpture. It is also used for hat blocks, shoe lasts, and, because it is very stable, piano keys.

Not a bad choice for my father, but as I got ready for bed it occurred to me that Sustainability Planning would probably object. They were a tough, well-organized department, and there is a widespread belief that the silver linden is toxic to bees. It’s not; the truth is, in the late summer and early fall, when the bee’s life cycle is coming to an end anyway, there are fewer nectar sources, so they congregate around the silver linden and some number of them die there. But Sustainability would never approve even the appearance of harm to a pollinator.