tree ID

• shortleaf pine!

• can be in pairs or bundles of three; only one that varies from 2-3 pines per bundle

• pines are FAR LONGER than Virginia pines

• virginia pine!

• only forms in pairs

• pines much shorter than shortleaf pine

• pitch pine!

• only forms in bundles of three

• differentiate from shortleaf pine by noting needles EXCLUSIVELY in bundles of three; probably won’t happen with shortleaf pine

• eastern redcedar!

• note the “scale-like” nature of the needles; very distinct

• eastern white pine!

• look at how many needles there are per bundle; only pine tree with 5 needles per bundle

• baldcypress!

• single needles

• needles are brighter & slightly smaller than the eastern hemlock’s

• eastern hemlock!

• single needle

• note how wide & dark the needles are compared to the baldcypress

• red maple!

process:

1. oppositely arranged buds; MADBuck

2. iconic maple shape

3. v-shaped lobes —> red maple!

• sugar maple!

process:

1. oppositely arranged buds; MADBuck

2. iconic maple shape

3. u-shaped lobes —> sugar maple! (sugar has a u in it, like its u-shaped lobes)

• silver maple!

process:

1. oppositely arranged buds; MADBuck

2. iconic maple shape

3. v-shaped lobes with very long, slender shape —> silver maple

• boxelder! (type of maple)

process:

1. oppositely arranged buds; MADBuck

2. pinnately compound (eliminates dogwood); less leaves per leaflet than ash trees, not palmately compound —> maple

3. clearly not any of the normal maples, so it has to be a boxelder

• white ash!

process:

1. oppositely arranged buds (cant see here); MADBuck

2. unipinnately compound, 7-9 leaflets; ash!

3. look at the base of each leaf: the base is very well defined here, which is a characteristic of the white ash

• green ash!

process:

1. oppositely arranged buds; MADBuck

2. unipinnately compound, 7-9 leaflets → ash

3. look at the base of each leaf: note how they aren’t well defined, and it almost looks like the leaf sprouts straight from the twig —> green ash

• blue ash!

process:

1. oppositely arranged buds; MADBuck

2. 7-9 leaflets; ash (if it has more than 9 leaflets, it’s immediately a blue ash)

3. note how square and “corky” the twig looks compared to the other ashes; telltale sign this is a blue ash

• flowering dogwood!

process:

1. oppositely arranged buds; MADBuck

2. SIMPLE LEAF —> DOGWOOD, every time!

• ohio buckeye!

process:

1. oppositely arranged buds; MADBuck

2. palmately compound —> buckeye

3. snap/crush a twig in your hands; if it smells bad, it’s an ohio buckeye!

• yellow buckeye!

process:

1. oppositely arranged buds; MADBuck

2. palmately compound —> buckeye

3. snap/crush a twig in your hands; if it doesn’t smell bad, it’s a yellow buckeye

• sweet birch!

process:

1. alternately arranged buds, simple leaves; doesn’t narrow it down much

2. NOTE HOW SERRATED IT IS, and note how the egg-shaped leaf tapers to a pointed tip; hackberry is the only other tree with the shape & serration of a birch leaf

3. birch trees, like in this picture, simply have far more serration than hackberries (sometimes they are doubly-serrated), & they have a slightly different shape

4. the egg-shaped leaf & fine serration tells us this is a sweet birch

• river birch!

process:

1. alternately arranged, simple leaves

2. doubly serrated, egg/rhombus shape; this is a birch!

3. note how deep each serration cuts into the leaf; sweet birch has very fine serration, so this must be a river birch

• pawpaw!

process:

1. alternately arranged simple leaves

2. smooth leaf margins, distinct oblong shape —> pawpaw

• catalpa!

process:

1. very very large (5” - 12”) leaves resembling “elephant ears”

2. alternately arranged whorled leaves

3. only native species with a whorled arrangement is catalpa

• hackberry!

process:

1. alternately arranged simple leaves

2. long, coarsely serrated, lopsided leaves (look at how lopsided some of the leaves in the background are)

3. all telltale signs this is a hackberry

• eastern redbud!

process:

1. alternately arranged simple leaves

2. note the distinct symmetrical heart shape: tells us this is an eastern redbud!

3. leaves are also pretty large with smooth margins

• sweetgum!

process:

1. incredibly distinct star shape; literally no other leaf has this shape, so it must be sweetgum

2. alternate, simple leaves with serration and 5-7 deep pointed lobes

• yellow-poplar!

process:

1. alternately arranged simple leaves

2. note almost maple-like shape/tulip shape; almost like a square with two “wings” on the top

3. distint shape tells us this is a yellow poplar!

• osage-orange!

process:

1. simple alternate leaves

2. note the almost birch/hackberry-like shape, but distinctly lacking any serration (full margins); telltale sign this is an osage-orange

also of note:

• osage-orange trees have sharp thorns at the base of leaf petiole which are also a unique identier

• cucumbertree!

process: