Russian Olive Trees

Russian Olive trees (Elaeagnus angustifolia) are not native to Wisconsin, so I only learned about them on an earth sciences walk around the University of Wisconsin's (Milwaukee) campus one day in undergrad. Our prof was showing our class the myriad of tree varieties grown there and that is when I met Yuri and Svetlana, my beloved Russian Olives (of course I had to name them!).

I don't usually go for subtle hues or pieces of nature that are not overtly beautiful, but there was something about those twin trees that captivated me. I had to say hello to them every time I passed by their little plot beside the student union. There bark is wild and rough and barely clings, but it flows together out to the silver branches. In late spring, you can find fragrant lemon yellow bell-shaped flowers along the branches. The leaves are long and slim, silver on the backsides and slightly fuzzy. I've never seen the fruit look like anything other than the above picture, but apparently they grow larger, turn yellow or red, and are edible. But don't you have to soak olives in something to be able to eat them anyway? I've never heard of fresh olives...

I bought a baby Russian Olive for my parents' yard years ago but it failed miserably. And then to my absolute horror, I went to visit Yuri and Svetlana one spring day only to find that they'd been cut down. I was inconsolable (well, sort of).

Now that I'm in the Southwest, Russian Olives are ubiquitous and incredibly invasive. That changes them for me a little. But I'll always remember Yuri & Svetlana as they were and what they meant to me.