Winter Tree Identification – Part 2
/Continuing from yesterday -
Seeds that help with identification include tulip poplar (the pods stay on the trees releasing the seeds during the winter breezes to clog up any nearby gutters!),
Osage orange (that fall to the ground and are only moved around my people these days…they were planted for fence rows after the dust bowl because they are hardy, and the seed balls are easily broken apart and planted),
Sweet gum (the spikey seeds are a hazard in suburban yards and drive ways), and
Black walnuts (there are always nuts under the tree but the squirrels may carry then a little further away so look at the shape of the tree too).
Of course – there are trees that are not as easy to identify. That’s why I carry a small book – Winter Tree Finder – when I am hiking in the winter and looking at trees. I found mine at a used book sale, but they are available new from Amazon as well.
