LANSING — Sen. John Proos recently presented a catalpa tree sapling to Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke, who will be working with the county to determine the best location to plant the tree.

“Catalpas are beautiful flowering trees that grow up to 60 feet high or more and provide plenty of shade,” said Proos, R-St. Joseph. “It was an honor to present Sheriff Behnke with this sapling from the massive catalpa tree at the Capitol.”

The sapling presented to Behnke came from a cutting from a catalpa that sits on the east lawn of the state capitol. It is one of the largest catalpa trees in the nation.

“At over 107 feet tall, with a trunk measuring more than 20 feet around, the parent tree of this sapling is simply magnificent,” Proos said. “It is an honor to present its saplings to constituents throughout Southwest Michigan.”