Hello!
Welcome to my page describing the 8 broad-leaved trees I found for this assignment. I hope you have as much fun reading through this page as I did when going out to find them!
The first tree in this list is what I believe to be White Ash, also known as Fraxinus americana. This tree has an opposite leaf arrangement and pinnately compound leaf complexity. Another key identifier were the flowers of this tree because they have the general shape and “flow” of what Ash tree flowers are supposed to look like. This tree was seen by Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga National Park, and while this tree was somewhat by itself, the surrounding habitat was forest.
Two interesting facts about White Ash are 1) the wood is excellent for making musical instruments (Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, 50 pp.) and 2) According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, some Native American tribes have used this tree’s bark to produce a yellow dye. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=FRAM2.
The second tree is what I believe to be Sugar Maple, also known as Acer saccharum. This tree also has an opposite leaf arrangement but with a simple leaf complexity. The biggest identifier on this tree for me was the general shape of the leaves. Maple leaves stick out like a sore thumb. This tree was located just outside the entrance to Shallenberger State Nature Preserve, which is located just off of U.S. Route 33 by U.S. Route 22, and the surrounding habitat is dense forest.
Two fun facts about Sugar Maple are 1) it is one of the most valuable hardwood trees (Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, 98 pp.) and 2) According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, this tree is susceptible to salt https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACSA3.
The third tree on the list is American Beech, also known as Fagus grandifloia. This tree has an alternate leaf arrangement and a simple leaf complexity. The leaf margin for this tree was serrate, and along with the bark, were the biggest key identifiers when looking at this species. The bark is very smooth and has a somewhat gray color to it. Like with the Sugar Maple, this tree was located at Shallenberger State Nature Preserve but found within the preserve itself. The surrounding habitat was also dense forest.
Two interesting facts about American Beech are 1) many species eat the fruit of this tree, including Wild Turkey, Black Bear, Raccoons, and Ruffed Grouse (Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, 263 pp.) and 2) According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the trunks of the trees are favorites for carving your initials and dates in https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=FAGR.
The fourth tree in the list is Alternate-Leaf Dogwood, also known as Cornus alternifolia. Unlike traditional Dogwood trees, this species has an alternate leaf arrangement and a simple leaf complexity. For me, there were no key identifiers for this tree, just a lot of time was put into trying to figure it out. Just like American Beech, this tree was found deep within the Shallenberger State Nature Preserve along the trail, with a surrounding dense forest.
Two fun facts about Alternate-Leaf Dogwood are 1) the fruits of this species are eaten by a large variety of birds, while the twigs are sometimes eaten by deer and rabbits (Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, 272 pp.) and 2) According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, this species is sometimes called Pogoda Dogwood, which alludes to a flat-topped crown with horizontal branch layers https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=COAL2.
The fifth tree in the list is what I believe to be Black Walnut, also known as Juglans nigra. Black Walnut has an opposite leaf arrangement with pinnately compound leaf complexity. The key identifiers for this tree were the leaf arrangement and the bark. To me, Walnut trees are quite easy to pick them out from among other trees, and the bark has a somewhat “vein” like look to it which also helps it stand out. Unlike the previous trees, this one was located at the OSU Wetlands at the northern side along the outer path. It was surrounded by other trees, with the Wetland a little ways away.
Two interesting facts about Black Walnut are 1) the bark from this species is used in tanning for hides (Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, 135 pp.) and 2) according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the wood from this species is excellent for making gunstocks https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=JUNI.
The sixth tree in the list is what I believe to be Northern Catalpa, also known as Catalpa speciosa. This species has an opposite leaf arrangement and with a simple leaf complexity. The only key identifier for this tree were the leaves and how absurdly large there were. It made this tree really stand out among its brethren. Like with the Black Walnut, this tree was found along the outer path at the OSU Wetlands.
Two fun facts about the Northern Catalpa are 1) this species grows quite rapidly, but that growth is counteracted by storm, insect, or frost damage (Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, 85 pp.) and 2) according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, it is often called the “Cigartree” or “Indian-bean” because of the fruit. Sadly, this tree did not have any fruit when I met it.
The seventh tree on the list is what I believe to be Black Cherry, also known as Prunus serotina. This species has an alternate leaf arrangement with a simple leaf complexity. The bark was the key identifier for this species because to me, it always looks like this species is “burnt” which helps it stand out. Similarly to the two previous trees, this Black Cherry was found in the OSU Wetlands even further along the outer path. However, this tree was on the side closest to the Olentangy River, surrounded by various tree species.
Two interesting facts about the Black Cherry are 1) the bark of this species is often used as flavoring for various dishes (Petrides, George A. 1972, Trees and Shrubs of Northeast Central US and Southeast and South Central Canada (Peterson Field Guide). Houghton Miflin, 236 pp.) and 2) according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, both wine and jelly are made from the fruits of this tree https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRSE2.
The last tree on this list is what I believe to be Black Willow, also known as Salix nigra. This tree also has an alternate leaf arrangement with a simple leaf complexity. For this tree, the only identifier for me is that it called the wetland itself home. Like with the previous trees, this tree was found at the OSU Wetlands, but unlike the previous trees, it was stationed in the wetland itself.
Two fun facts about Black Willow are 1) according to Minnesota Wildflowers, Black Willow is known to hybridize with several other Willow species https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/tree/black-willow, and 2) according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, this species is very valuable when trying to prevent soil erosion and flood damage on soil banks https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SANI. Side note, I could not find any fun facts about this species within our field guide.
Some Final Thoughts:
When comparing my experience to the Tree Blindness article, I learned pretty early on that I suffer from tree blindness. While I know some tree genera like Oaks or Maples and can pick those out, I have a long way to go to be comfortable getting trees down to species, and the only cure for that is more training!