Those are seed capsules and that is Paulownia, an invasive tree from China.

=="an invasive tree from China"==

Well then.....
I'm SO glad it's growing on the property of the Grove Park Inn and not mine, lol

Dora

If the Grove Park Inn is anywhere near your property, don't worry, it will be growing on your property before you know it.

Even if they cut it down, you won't see the end of it. It's quickly becoming worse than Mimosa.

"Well then.....
I'm SO glad it's growing on the property of the Grove Park Inn and not mine, lol"

Invasives damage the environment/eco-system. By definition, the damage from invasives spreads.

Wonder if the people at Grove Park Inn know they have a "Category 1" invasive according the the GA-EPPC?

Here is a link that might be useful: GA-EPPC Invasive Plant List

Yes, the problem is sometimes just a matter of people having things that they don't recognize. In the case of invasive plants, I think that is often the case. A seed quietly sprouts and just grows. Many people think that because it is there, it must be a native plant; the concept of foreign plants seeding themselves around is not always understood.

You might want to let them know they have it and ask that they consider removing it so that the seeds don't spread the problem further.

Paulownias are all along Interstate 26 in NC near Grove Park Inn. It probably spread from other nearby trees.

Yes, I just went to North Carolina this weekend and saw the hundreds of Paulownia trees along the roads there. I do think that the infestation of this particular plant is worse in NC than in GA. By contrast, they had much fewer Mimosa trees than Georgia does. Tennessee, by the way, wins the "prize" for most Tree of Heaven plants!

NC also has plenty of kudzu and lots of "fleece flower" which is the shrub form of Japanese knotweed, Polygonum cuspidatum. We are lucky to not have that as much here in Georgia (although I know of a healthy stand in Canton, near the railroad tracks).