Basswood is a generous tree with its resources. It blooms in early summer with a great profusion of nectar filled flowers, scenting the air far around. The flowers can be picked to make a lovely herbal tea—no need to add any sugar! Honey collected from the tree is another great treat. The leaves are large and thin, often looking quite bedraggled by late summer, as they are often fed on by small leaf-sucking insects. Look closely under a leaf and you may see a whole world of tiny creatures! European linden is a commonly planted tree in Montréal; its features are similar, except its leaves are much smaller. The flowers can be used in the same ways.