The tree map Austrian pine It is not known if any of the trees planted by Jesse Fell survive on the campus today, but the large Austrian pine located on the Quad to the southeast of the bell and the Old Main monument is among the oldest trees on the campus. Although all that remains of the building is a monument marking its location, the Austrian pine still stands. The large ginkgo tree by the east door of Cook Hall is one of the finest tree specimens on the Illinois State campus.
Ginkgoes are among the most ancient trees living on the earth today.
Fossilized ginkgoes have been dated from about 150 million years ago. The tree in front of Cook Hall was probably planted soon after the building's completion. If you look closely at the first photograph taken in about 1900, you can see the ginkgo when it was hardly more than a stick. You will quickly become acquainted with the foul odor of the fleshy seed covering. American elms Not all trees provide the lasting beauty of the Cook Hall ginkgo and live in such long association with the buildings near which they are planted.