As I’ve noted more than once, being able to name the plants around you is kind of a superpower. At the very least, it allows one to enjoy a deeper level of kinship with the other living things that share one’s living space. It is a delight to see recognition in the eyes of others when we are out and about and the inevitable question “What’s that?” comes up. (If that question does not come up when you’re walking anywhere where plants are found, well, perhaps that’s why you’re reading this column…) Making friends should not be limited to our species. Smarter folks than myself have opined more than once that when we parse the field of indistinguishable green and brown that borders our built space into living individuals with names — with personalities, even — then we perchance may come closer to actually caring for them. Conserving, even.
A walk down the ordinary sluice of pavement that defines my section of suburbia exposes me to a dozen different common trees. Additionally, I can peek into the adjoining wood and discern many understory woody plants and, this time of year, a few perennials. Ferns mainly. Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) being the resident in the majority. And how poor this walk would be – how pedestrian – if I were left with no more of an impression of the woods on my flank than the average motorist on the average motorway might have of the average sound wall. Bored and boring. Humbug.
Let’s have a quick run through tree identification. In winter. When the telltale leaves are long gone, there’s nothing to look at, right? Wrong! Look again!
Get to know a tree this winter
“The ability to identify…trees in their winter condition…is of increasing interest to the many citizens who love trees and wish to become better acquainted with the natural world about them.”
From Identification of Southeastern Trees in Winter by R.J. Preston Jr. & V.G. Wright, School of Forest Resources, NCSU*
I know, it’s hard learning new things. My brain solidified years ago. How do you expect me to retain an entirely new lexicon of tree-jargon? It is kind of an ask, but really, not a big one. Just think about how much effort we have put into learning how to operate — and operate in — our unnatural world.
But who doesn’t want to have more friends?
To that laudable end, let us consider what you need to identify trees in the winter landscape.
Resources for tree ID
There’s so much that could be said about learning trees in winter. And to be honest, so many folks have spent large chunks of their time saying those things. Even writing them down. Grab up a book or two. Do some light reading, find a book or column (or a blog…is that still a thing, are people still blogging?) you enjoy. There are so many and, despite the perceived dryness of the material covered, there are some very readable voices to be parsed out of the general din. Check out the list we’ve made; some are more in-depth than others.
I start with this little book, Winter Tree Finder, by Mary Theilgaard Watts and Tom Watts. It’s a 3” x 5” gem that keeps the vocab to a minimum. One page of tree twig parts near the beginning. And it fits into a pocket. There are a handful of terms that you’ll encounter often when examining tree anatomy. Remember learning all the parts of a flower back in high school biology class? This time there’s no test, no angry red ink slashes across your oeuvre, no permanent record to fret over.
The internet is your friend. Well, not really. Not most of the time. In fact, it’s more like a chainsaw than a next-door neighbor. It’s a tool. And in the pursuit of tree identification, it can be an effective tool for crowd-sourcing, jacking into the hive mind.
I’ve joined a group on the Facebook that exists just to identify plants. It’s called Plant Identification. Original, no? There are over 300,000 members who provide suggestions when unknown plants are posted. Like any info you skim off the foamy layer of digital froth, verify elsewhere to be certain.
Another great tool that lives in your rectangle comes in the form of iNaturalist, a free app that allows one to post tree and plant observations and either enter one’s own ID, select from a list of suggested options and enjoy the help of experts in identification. What I particularly appreciate about this app is that it accepts observations (pictures) from across the entirety of life. Spiders and snakes and mushrooms and bugs and all that.
Recognize this one?
The last digital tool is a paid app from my colleagues at the North Carolina Botanical Garden called FloraQuest. This one is specific to plants of the Southeastern US, and it is local to your device; that is, it does not require you to be online to use it. It takes up some space if you load the entire file set of pictures, but it’s worth it. An excellent resource for plant identification that is robust, factually accurate and loaded with excellent images of whatever you’re looking at right now. Plus, it’s a locally produced tool!
How about this one?
6 tips to identify trees in winter
Now that you’ve got some back-up, go where the trees are!
Grab your camera, grab your phone, grab your notebook. It’s great when you get that frisson of immediate recognition out in the woods or in a garden along the street, rushing to your next important thing. More often than not, though, the mental file you’re looking for has lost its tab or been refiled out of alphabetical order (really, how hard is it, we learned those letters, in the right order, even singing them into our cortical folds every time we washed our dusty little paws…) just below the surface, frustratingly out of reach. Make a picture. Make 15 pictures! Get those details. I try to get an overall image to know the shape of the plant. Then some closeups of twigs, including zoom-in perspectives of certain parts like the tips and the scarred areas where leaves once held on. A depiction or two of the bark also helps. And good to include something that references scale. Folks use a pen or pencil, for example, placed alongside the object; one could just as easily use one’s hand. The point is to have useful information hours or days later when you’ve moved along your personal timeline to a place where you can reflect with greater effect.Zoom-in perspectives of certain parts help you identify trees in winter.
Get the big picture. Before you dive into the nitty-gritty, take a look at the entire tree and note its shape. Seeing the whole tree, growing where it planted itself, really helps narrow down the list of possibilities. Inspect closely. Look at a branch, look at a twig. Determine how the limbs are arranged. Most of our native trees have branches, twigs and leaves that arrange themselves alternately along the trunk; that is, they emerge in a spot, then a little further along the limb on the other side, they emerge again. There are a few trees whose leaves and limbs pop up opposite each other. If you find that configuration, you’ve narrowed the field of candidates significantly. Maples, ashes, dogwoods, buckeyes, catalpas, viburnums, honeysuckles and euonymus (hearts-a-bustin’) make up a short list of the oppositely arranged woody plants in our neck of the proverbial woods. Look down. A helpful habit of deciduous species is that they drop parts of themselves, and those parts tend to cluster in higher densities near the bases of the trees from whence they came. Parts that were on the tree in August will likely be nearby in January. Check the ground around your mystery friend and see if you recognize the leaves or nuts. Mind you, in the woods where there is a crowd, there will oftimes be a slew of leaves and twigs and nuts all mixed up. That’s next year’s soil. What are ya gonna do?Hints to tree types can be found in the leaf litter chaos.
Use your nose. Many trees have a scent when their bark is scratched, even if it is faint —sassafras (Sassafras albidum), for instance, or black cherry (Prunus serotina). That’s one of my favorite plants to scratch and sniff. Reminds me of a genuinely old-fashioned hand-made cherry cola soda fountain from the drug store in the downtown where I grew up. Where there were large glass vessels partially filled with mysterious colorful liquids. Where there were spinning counter stools and candy by the pound and an acre of dark and shining wood in the countertops, walls and cabinets. Do not be afraid to break the skin—learn from the experience. Young twigs will not mind, I promise. (Margot wants me to remind you that this is a fine practice at your place but be mindful of doing it on someone else’s private property or in public spaces. If every visitor followed this practice, the trees and their human stewards would actually mind.) Learn where you’re at. This is a part of the practice that I’ve found useful. Knowing a bit about the particular area—the geography, the climate, the soils, the structure of a place—conveys useful information in itself.So get yourself outside and make some new friends this year. It’s worth it. And remember to bundle up ‘cause, baby, it’s cold outside.
* This title isn’t widely available commercially, but you can check it out from Davis Library with a UNC library card.
Join us
We’ve got three opportunities to join us for in-person events this winter (pre-registration is required for all).
Witnesses to Wild Beauty — nature and gratitude journaling
11 January, 11A-1P at the Chapel Hill Public Library
This mostly indoor workshop with Margot focuses on sharpening our senses, sparking wonder, and cultivating gratitude. Activities include making observations, sensory experiences, doodling/drawing, prompted and free writing, and opportunities for sharing. Participants receive a set of journaling prompts and a list of recommended reading. Free. Save your seat!
Winter Campus Walk
7 February, 1-4P starting at the Coker Arboretum
Winter is a great time to enjoy the shrubs and trees of the university campus with Geoffrey. This walk meanders through the older parts of UNC and highlights mature specimens of broad-leaf evergreens, conifers, unusuals and a few originals — retracing the footsteps of retired NCBG Assistant Director Ken Moore, NCBG Foundation founding member William L. Hunt and past UNC landscape architect Francis LeClair. As we pass through McCorkle Place, Polk Place and the Coker Arboretum, we see the many plants introduced by W.C. Coker, the first UNC Professor of Botany and steward of the Coker Arboretum for over 40 years. $9 ($8 for NCBG members). Grab your spot!
Nature Connection Walk
28 February, 1-3 PM, Williamson Preserve, Knightdale
Join Margot for a slow, easy and mindful stroll around Williamson Nature Preserve. We walk the Two Pond Loop trail with periodic stops to notice, reflect and be grateful. Participants get a set of prompts and links to additional resources. Free. Sign up!
Photos by Geoffrey Neal. See more of his work at soapyair.com.
An ancient tree spirals out of the ground at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area.
(All campus photos by Geoffrey Neal. Crafting photos by Margot Lester)
Geoffrey Neal is the director of the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference. See more of his photography at soapyair.com, @soapyair and @gffry. Margot Lester is a certified interpretive naturalist and professional writer and editor. Read more of her work at The Word Factory.
About the name: A refugium (ri-fyü-jē-em) is a safe space, a place to shelter, and – more formally – an area in which a population of organisms can survive through a period of unfavorable conditions or crisis. We intend this column to inspire you to seek inspiration and refuge in nature, particularly at the Arboretum!
Refugium: How To Identify Trees in Winter Chapelboro.com.
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