What are some trees and shrubs with colorful twigs?Ī: One of my favorite trees, sassafras, has bright green twigs on newer growth. Some twigs are yellow, some bright green and some deep red. Q: On your walk, you notice that twig color often stands out. Buttonbush is a native shrub, common in wetland areas. The two we are likely to see in Ohio are catalpa and buttonbush. What plant is this?Ī: Very few woody plants have whorled leaf arrangement. Instead, the leaf scars are whorled around the branch, similar to opposite arrangement but with three scars around the twig instead of two. Q: Another plant you notice at the edge of a marshy area has neither opposite nor alternate leaf arrangement. All of these plants have opposite leaf arrangement. Keep in mind the phrase “Mad Cap Horse,” which stands for Maple, Ash, Dogwood, CAPrifoliaceae (plants in the honeysuckle family, including viburnum) and HORSE chestnut (and buckeye). When the leaves are attached in an opposite arrangement, the choices are relatively few. What kind of tree might this be?Ī: Most trees have alternate leaf arrangement, which means the leaves are not attached to the twigs directly opposite from one another. As you stop to observe a twig close up, you notice that the leaf scars (marks on the twigs where the leaves used to be attached) are arranged opposite one another. Q: Of course, not every tree is easy to identify from bark alone. And who could forget the smooth, gray bark of beech, compared by some to the skin of an elephant? Black cherry has dark bark that’s flaky like potato chips, white oak has striped, shaggy bark, and of course shagbark hickory peels from the trunk in long, narrow strips. Sycamore’s cousin, the London plane tree, has mottled bark with green hues and yellow bark underneath instead of white.īark characteristics are helpful in identifying many trees in winter. Name this tree.Ī: The native American sycamore is the only massive tree you will see with this kind of bark. Patches of the bark often slough off the trunk and large branches to reveal the bright white bark beneath. Q: This huge tree, which often grows along streams, has attractive brown mottled bark. How can you learn to identify these plants in winter? Answer the following questions, and test your knowledge of winter identification. On a winter hike through your favorite forest, you may see many trees and shrubs that are unfamiliar. Most people who love nature don’t restrict their outings to days when it’s sunny and over 60 degrees: We’d never get outside in Ohio.
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