Trees

Tree Blindness

After reading the New York Times article by Gabriel Popkin, I realized that for most people, tree blindness is a life-long issue that will never be cured. With this, I am happy to say that there are many quick-acting cures to this illness (figuratively of course!). Up until my sophomore year of college, I had never truly known the place that I lived in from a naturalist standpoint. Sure I knew where the closest ice cream shop was and where all of my friends lived in my neighborhood, but I had not known the rich history that was spelled out by tree rings in our nearby forestlands. Even worse than that, I did not know about the very trees found right outside my house in the neighborhood.

As a kid, I did have a few special trees that captured my attention during the summer months. I remember walking down our streets in early spring and the air smelling funny, a bit like urine, thanks to the numerous Bradford pear trees lining our streets. Or the many legumes falling on the ground in early fall that were big and purple looking belonging to honey locusts. And quite possibly my favorite tree was actually rooted in our front yard. My family had a large weeping cherry tree in our yard right outside of the window in my room. It was beautiful and would burst with heaps of pink flowers every spring for about one week, and during that one week, nothing could enamor me more. But after all of this, even with a deep appreciation for at least a select few trees as a kid, I remained to have tree blindness as a teenager and young adult.

As Popkins explains, beginners can start identifying trees with just a few simple steps by looking at a tree’s leaf arrangement and their complexity. Furthermore, as great as it is to learn tree identification for fun, this skill has -in earlier years- been a matter of life and death when it came to tree use in housing, food, and cover. Overall, I find it really important to continue these practices of living off of the land as this article has highlighted how backward our feelings are toward eating native vegetation. Many of our gardens and eating habits stem from domesticated plants, which in turn has created a gap in knowledge and fear toward utilizing wild tree parts for food. We must all prioritize curing our tree blindness in hopes of knowing the land we grow to love, understanding tree and human survivability relationships, and even just having fun learning a new skill.

I started my journey to identify some native trees near River Run Park in Delaware, Ohio (in a forested area near my job at the U.S. Forest Service Research Station). Let’s get over this tree blindness together!

 

American sycamore

Platanus occidentalis

Information:

The very first tree that stuck out to me while walking around a natural area near River Run Park in Delaware, Ohio was one with an enormous trunk covered in brown, blotchy bark that eventually chipped off to show a blindingly white underbark near the top of the tree. This striking bark was a foolproof way of identifying this beautiful specimen, as this mammoth of a tree was none other than our native American sycamore, Platanus occidentalis.

American sycamore tree identification includes their “camouflage” bark that is mainly brown with shedding areas of whitish or yellowish underbark, an alternate leaf arrangement, simple leaf complexity, and “maple-looking” leaves that are palmately veined. Additionally, leaves are typically large with 3-5 lobes, pointed tip margins, and hairless everywhere except for the veins.

This tree was found in an extremely sunny grassland area on the edge of the forest. Its environment included decently wet soil, as the Olentangy River is nearby, with high drainage. Now, when seeing a sycamore of such age, you may just want to wrap your arms around its impressively large trunk. This species is known for its size and may be considered one of the largest trees in Ohio and grows relatively quickly considering its tolerance to adaptations, thick and strong root systems, tough wood, and value to other biotic organisms.

Fun Facts:

  • 1. Indians used sycamore trees for dugouts due to their large-sized trunks. One such canoe was reported to have been 65′ long and weighed a whopping 9,000 lbs.
    • Citation: Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast and North Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, page 204
  • 2. American sycamore fruits mature in a small, brown, burr-like ball that hangs from the branch. This ball is NOT a single fruit itself, but instead an aggregate of many small seed-like fruits called achenes with fuzzy hair-like structures attached to it. Each ball is very light and can float on the water or be carried in the wind, which is useful for dispersal.
Here is a singular American sycamore leaf that is alternate in arrangement and simple in complexity. Notice how the leaf shape differs from a maple (a similar-ish looking leaf) leaf; sycamore leaves have 5 lobes, large leaves, palmate veins, and prominent side veins that make the lead appear ridged around the stem. Maples on the other hand have 3-5 lobes, much smaller leaves, and fewer side veins (resulting in a much flatter leaf).

 

A little bit of a different angle to emphasize how these leaves rest (not flat). Notice how the leaf itself wraps around the stem!

 

The overall shape (as outlined in white) of this sycamore tree truly highlights the large base, massive straight trunk, and large branches that often spread crookedly (forming a broad and open crown). (Information from Petrides Trees and Shrubs Field Guide).

 

Here is a closer look at the bark! This is one of my all-time favorite trees due to its amazing bark. The camouflage pattern emerging due to the tree shedding its outer layer of brown gives this gigantic tree a special feature to identify it in both summer and winter! Amazing!

 

 

tuliptree

Liriodendron tulipifera

Information:

One of the next trees I saw was another rather large specimen that had peculiar-shaped leaves compared to most of the forested areas around it. These interesting leaves belonged to (as you might have already guessed) a tuliptree! I found this tree near the previous sycamore tree, it was surrounded by numerous of its kind along the forest’s edge where it had lots of sunlight. The habitat was very similar to the sycamore as well, except the soil was on a slightly higher elevation of soil.

Tuliptrees have very memorable leaves that are described to be tulip-shaped (hence the name), heart-shaped at the bottom base, and squared off at the top. This species does not have (at least in my eyes) very descriptive bark when compared to some other native Ohio trees, with an overall dark gray coloring and deep furrows along with trunk. Tuliptrees have an alternate leaf arrangement and a simple leaf complexity. Since these are descriptive traits of many species, it is important to then look at the leaves, buds, and flowers (when in bloom).

The leaves as described before hold an interesting shape as they are squared off along the top two lobes and have more of a heart shape, rounded edge on the bottom 2-4 lobes (for 4-6 lobes total). Their twigs are also very distinct as they have “duck bill” terminal buds, stipule scars surrounding the entire bud, and are decently stout. Flowers for these trees are cup-shaped with 6 petals that are yellow-green on the outside and orange-yellow on the inside. This tree is aptly named for its tulip-shaped flowers and leaves!

Fun Facts:

  • 1. Though widely known as Yellow Poplar and Tulip Poplar, this relative of magnolias is not closely related to true poplars.
    • Citation: Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast and North Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, page 203.
  • 2. Tuliptrees are unusually free from insects and disease. The yellow-poplar weevil, nectria canker, and fusarium canker are three of the more important enemies of this species.
Here is a closer look into this tree’s interesting leaves! Notice how the top of the leaf is flattened and square-like, whereas the bottom almost resembles a heart shape and is more rounded.

 

Looking at this picture, can you see how these leaves stood out to me from far away? What interesting shapes!

 

Now here is one of my favorite parts of this tree, its twig! Tuliptrees are known for their buds as they resemble the bill of a duck, along with each bud scar being surrounded by stipules.

 

Here is a general overview of this tree’s canopy shape. Note: there were many tuliptrees standing side by side in this area.

 

black walnut

Juglans nigra

Information:

The next tree I saw was a bit different than the past two alternately arranged, simple complexity trees we have seen. This tree had alternately arranged leaves, and pinnately compound leaves (not simple). With many leaflets per leaf, it was easy to identify this specimen as a black walnut, Juglans nigra.

The area where I found this tree was slightly upland of the river, on the edge of the road (and also scattered throughout patchy areas of trees) with well-drained soil.  Identification of this tree can be done with its alternate, pinnately compound leaves. Each leaf is made up of 9-21 leaflets and is about 12-24″ long. There are also saw-toothed margins along the leaves. This tree also had large pairings of fruits that smelled strongly of an earthy citrus lemon-lime soda.  The bark on an adult or mature bark is very distinct, with dark brown, deeply furrowed scaly ridges along the trunk. The reason this tree stuck out to me among a small opening of light in the forested area was its strong aroma. The smell and large pinnately compound leaves gave me a reason to believe that there was a black walnut tree around!

Fun Facts:

 

Look at how big each leaf is (yes, one leaf has 9-21 leaflets, wow!). Notice that the leaves are alternately arranged, ensuring that this is not an ash species.

 

Here are those big, strong-smelling fruits that I was talking about. I bet you have probably stepped on one of these outside around the OSU campus or while walking near a river or stream source.

 

Here is the general shape of the black walnut tree. Notice how there are alternating branches with an open spreading head of the tree.

 

Ah yes! The magnificent bark I was talking about. Black walnut bark is one of my favorites to see in the forest, with its dark brown color and deep furrows, this is a great bark to ID in the winter.

 

eastern cottonwood

Populus deltoides

Information:

The next tree I saw stood out to me due to its “weirdly flat” leaves that came to a blunt stop near the base. These leaves are distinctly triangular, long-pointed, and straight at the base. With leaves this shape, I knew that I had found an eastern cottonwood, Populus deltoides. 

Eastern cottonwood trees are alternate and simple, with triangular leaves and flattened leafstalks. It is always a treat to see a large eastern cottonwood tree due to its beautiful bark that turns grey and blocky like long Lego pieces being stacked up along the trunk. The area where I found this tree was a wetter area with slightly less drainage than the surrounding forests. These trees are known to be found near water as they can tolerate wetter soils and flood plains. Although this specific tree was not surrounded by other trees (it was next to an American elm tree plantation), this tree was on its own in plenty of sunlight about 15 feet away from the forested land.

I always have strong emotional ties to this tree as it reminds me of being in Lake Erie camping with my family! Next time you are near a body of water, look around for these magnificent specimens!

Fun Facts:

  • 1. Eastern cottonwood, otherwise known as common cottonwood, has smooth bark when young that eventually turns into dark and well-defined ridges that appear blocky up the entire tree.
    • Citation: Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast and North Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, pages 211-212.
  • 2. Native Americans held cottonwood in high regard and it is thought that the leaves, fashioned into teepees by native children, were the inspirations for the teepee dwellings of the plains tribes.

They really are little triangles! Here is a photo of the triangular leaves with a bluntly straight base. If you look SUPER CLOSE, you might be able to see their flattened leafstalks, which is a big characteristic of this species.

 

They really are little triangles! Here is a photo of the triangular leaves with a bluntly straight base. If you look SUPER CLOSE, you might be able to see their flattened leafstalks, which is a big characteristic of this species.

 

Here is the overall shape of this tree. Something interesting I have noticed is that these trees are known for a vase-shaped or pyramidal crown with a large trunk and branches that spread at the base. It is truly amazing how this description fits the tree’s overall shape here!

 

Again, look at this amazing bark! Notice the light gray colored bark that has super thick and blocky pieces that almost stack one on top of another toward the top of the image. (If you could not tell by this point, I really love identifying tree bark!)

white ash

Fraxinus americana

Information:

This tree sadly stood out to me due to its small size, as there has been a devastating nuisance put onto this genus, the emerald ash borer. This tree stood out as an ash tree since it was a smaller tree, had oppositely arranged leaves, pinnately compound leaves, and bud scars where the bud remained in the leaf scar (horseshoe-shaped). Due to the leaf scars and each leaf having 5-9 leaflets, this pointed me toward this ash being a white ash, Fraxinus americana.

The habitat where this tree was found was a general understory of the forest with a decent amount of vegetation and small trees. I did have to go a little bit off-trail to get these photos since I knew this tree species would not be large. The amount of large ash trunks and trees that had fallen was truly devastating. Any trees that grow large enough for emerald ash borers to inhibit the tree likely die without treatment. I did include the tracks that emerald ash borers leave in mature trees, and if you could probably predict, the mature tree was in fact dead (but still standing).

Fun Facts:

  • 1. The most valuable and largest native ash providing hard, strong, durable timber for furniture, interior decorating, agricultural implements, tool handles, oars, tennis rackets, musical instruments, baseball hats, snowshoes, and skis.
    • Citation: Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast and North Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, page 50.

 

Here we can see each white ash leaf having 5-9 leaflets and being oppositely arranged. You can tell this is not a hickory species since the leaves are opposite (not alternate) and the terminal leaflet is not enlarged or different than the rest of the leaflets (generally).

 

This is the overall shape of the small white ash tree. Please note that I did try to find a living ash tree with a larger DBH (diameter breast height), but they are very rare nowadays.

 

Can you see all of those little tunnels the emerald ash borers made? Crazy right? These s-shaped tunnels or galleries appear on the tree due to EAB eating the tree’s vascular tissue and inner bark, which will ultimately lead to the bark splitting and the tree dying.

 

redbud

Cercis canadensis

Information:

When I came across this tree, it looked like someone had placed little hearts all along the forest edge. Knowing this, I knew in a heartbeat that this lovely tree was a young redbud, Cercis canadensis. 

Redbud trees have beautiful heart-shaped leaves that are alternate, simple, and have entire margins. Although this tree did not have very distinguishable bark due to its age, typical redbud bark becomes slightly ridged with scaly plates. The area where I found this tree was in a shady open area under a large silver maple. The soil was fairly moist and there were lots of smaller trees growing under the large maple.

Meeting a redbud tree is always a pleasure as nature is, quite literally, putting out love through its biota (heart shapes! Did that even make sense? Hopefully!).

Fun Facts:

    • 1. Blossoms, not buds, reddish. Flowers are sometimes eaten in salads and their red roots yield a dye.
      • Citation: Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast and North Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, page 208.
    • 2. The roots and bark were used before modern medicine to treat a variety of ailments. Native Americans treated whooping cough with a tea made from the boiled bark of eastern redbud.
Here are the leaves of eastern redbud with their alternately arranged and simple leaves! It is amazing how much they look like hearts!

 

Now this may seem a little chaotic, but eastern redbud trees honestly do not get very large. These trees have a lot of crazy branches in their upper canopy (that almost look like vines in this picture)!

 

American elm

Ulmus americana

Information:

Now this tree is very special to me as I am currently working for the Forest Service on their American elm, Ulmus Americana, team.

American elms are one of my favorite trees due to their doubly-serrated leaf margins, which display double-toothed sides along each leaf. These leaves are alternate and simple with scaled buds that look like little cones. The bark of this tree is very interesting as the texture of the bark is spongy, yet firm and has intricate layers that (when sliced open) show alternating colors of white and reddish bark layers. The cross-section of this bark has even been described as having a “bacon” pattern.

This tree was found on the edge of a forested patch with lots of sunlight. I will also note that the conditions of this area had moist soil and many large hardwood trees all around (with smaller trees and shrubs in the understory).

This tree filled me with joy to find, this is another example of bark being a great ID feature!

Fun Facts:

    • 1. This beloved species is being decimated by disease. Stands of dead trees occupying lowland sites in many places are becoming more common as Dutch Elm Disease spreads via a wood-boring beetle.
      • Citation: Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast and North Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, page 226.
    • 2. American elm trees across the U.S. are being killed off by Dutch Elm Disease. To positively identify the fungi, Ophiostoma ulmi (and Ophiostoma novo-ulmi), samples from actively wilting branches with definite vascular discoloration are needed.
American elm leaves are doubly-serrate, alternate, and simple. Size can vary based on tree, region, and weather conditions.

 

Here is the overall shape of this tree. It is important to visualize the size of this elm tree that is rather small compared to how big they used to get due to the detrimental issues this species has been going though: Dutch Elm Disease.

 

This bark is one of my favorites. Some of my coworkers describe this bark as an “Oreo” since there are layers of white and red alternating and not just one color! This looks like some super spongy bark too! Wow!

 

black cherry

Prunus serotina

Information:

For my last tree, I struggled for a bit to find one that stood out to me apart from the honeysuckle and invasive species occupying the sunny areas of the forest. Ultimately I stumbled across some bark that looked like burnt potato chips, meaning we had a black cherry tree, Prunus serotina. 

This tree has alternate, simple, and slightly serrated leaves. The leaves have a few fun identification features such as being shiny and green on the top of each leaf and light green with a hair along the midvein of the bottom of the leaf.

I found this tree in an area that was neither wet nor dry, ultimately it was a decently neutral area with lots of tall trees and species. There were oak trees and eastern cottonwoods nearby, indicating varying soils. This tree was slightly in the forest along the path where I found it and its leaves were up super, super high (so I actually had to find a seedling on the forest floor to take a picture of for its leaf identification!). I always love to find black cherry trees because of their intricate and interesting bark. Ever since I have been told that the bark looks like burnt potato chips, I cannot unsee it!

Fun Facts:

  • 1. This species has one of the largest cherries and holds a lot of value for lumber and as food for humans and wildlife.
    • Citation: Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast and North Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, page 236.
Here is a leaf from a black cherry tree. Note, this was a seedling next to the tree (among many) since the particular tree I found was insanely tall! Here you can see the slightly serrated edges and distinguished appearance that this leaf has.

 

Here is the overall shape of this tree, which may be slightly skewed due to its height! Typically I see cherry trees have more of a circular or oblong head and zigzag branches.

 

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, here is the mature bark of a cherry tree. Do you get where I am coming from with saying it looks like burnt potato chips?