Bucks County has its latest champion, but this one is a bit taller than the rest – and not a person but instead can be found at Silver Lake Nature Center, writes JD Mullane for the Bucks County Courier Times.

An Eastern Redbud tree at Silver Lake Nature Center was awarded the champion designation by the PA Champion Tree Association, run by the Pennsylvania Forestry Association. The huge redbud is 35 feet high and boasts a spread of 54 feet and a humongous 80-inch trunk.

“It’s the biggest (redbud) in Bucks County, and the third biggest in the state,” said PattiAnn Cutter, a naturalist and director at the nature center on Bath Road in Bristol Township.

The Big Red was planted three decades ago by the nature center’s retired director Bob Mercer. It can be easily spotted in the visitors’ brick-paved courtyard right outside the main building.

The tree – with a Latin name Cercis canadensis – is a true showstopper during spring, when it is covered in tiny purple-red blooms. The blooms are followed by heart-shaped leaves which turn buttery yellow in the fall.

“It’s a lovely tree,” said Cutter.

Read more about the Big Red at the Silver Lake Nature Center and other showstopper trees in the Bucks County Courier Times.

The Short Guide to the Eastern Redbud (Cercis Canadensis)