The Ginkgo

is so old that dinosaurs knew them and they're so long lived 40 generations of one family might not outlive one specimen. Some call it a maidenhair tree, About.com says the "Ancient Chinese . . . describe[d] the tree as ya-chio-tu , meaning a tree with leaves like a duck's foot," and Buddhists believe it's sacred. As for me, the splayed and split leaf looks like a pleated fabric fan, yellowed with age and gentle use, strewn or dropped on purpose for another to pick up and admire.
And today, that's eactly what I did.