A little known fact about American Basswood is the fact bees love them. This is an article about the subject. The article refers to Oak-Hickory forests which is actually the third type of forest in New York State.
But, Oak-Hickory forests are largely the majority of forests below the Mason-Dixon line, which would make the blooming season earlier. But, we live in a time when pollinators are at a premium and often fall in number due to pesticides. Considering the bees like Basswood they can be an interesting tree to include in larger groves.
As the article points out, American Basswood grow far more quickly than other hardwood trees.
September 19, 2015
By Daniel
Where sourwoods (click here) produce top notch honey that beats out even clover, there may not be a more prolific nectar producing plant in the eastern United States than Tilia americana as far as volume in concerned. With the limestone parents yielding alkaline soils, it is quite a relief to learn that basswoods prefer neutral to slightly alkaline soils. A major consideration is that these trees need space, and lots of it. Heights of 60-120 feet are commonly achieved while Tilia trees spreads out 50 feet. The bloom is only 2 weeks long between May and July but produces an incredible amount of nectar; the most of any plant native to the eastern US and likely the most heavy producer in all of the United States, though I have found no statistics to confirm this. Furthermore, the flower’s structure protects nectar from being washed away by rain! The last of its attributes to note is how it grows twice as fast as most native hardwoods including beech, oak, and hickory to name the geniuses that make up the most of our native forests here. Unsurprisingly, this also means that it blooms quickly!...
