– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County, OSU Extension
Peak color may arrive a little early this year!
One fall semester long, long ago, I took a tree identification course at OSU ATI in Wooster. My teacher was Dr. Laura Deeter. Class consisted primarily of tree walks across campus stopping at trees to examine every part of them we could reach. The bark, the buds, the leaves, the leaf scars, fruits, nuts, and even the crotch angles, which refer to how the branches off the main trunk are angled out. When the semester started in September it was my favorite class, but by the final exam it haunted my nightmares.
As you are probably aware, deciduous trees (those that lose their leaves in the fall) look quite different in December than they do in September. The class grew exponentially harder by the time we took the final exam. With almost 200 trees to potentially identify by common and scientific name, with no leaves, the pressure was on. By the end of the semester, tree I.D. was far from my best class, but it was still one of my favorites.
Every October I think of that class fondly as I continue to struggle identifying trees in the landscape. Peak fall color will surround us within a few weeks. The air will turn Continue reading October, a time to enjoy and identify trees!