The photo is of a sycamore tree at Red-tail’s McVey Memorial Forest. A walk in the woods this time of year is different. It’s quiet and monochromatic. Other than the crunch of your shoes on frozen ...

The reddish gray-brown bark of the red oak tree with its darker vertical markings is one of the key features to identifying the tree in winter. (Clay Wollney) Leaves are the most useful and frequently ...

Trees can be identified in winter by observing their needles, bark, branching patterns, and buds. Distinctive bark, such as the smooth gray bark of a beech or the peeling white bark of a paper birch, ...

Despite their lack of leaves in winter, it really is not too difficult to identify most trees now. You just have to look at other characteristics, such as branching patterns, bark, overall shape, ...

Just like every individual is unique, so are trees. No two trees grow at the same rate, have the same leaf pattern, or have identical bark. However, each tree species has specific characteristics that ...

The winter landscape may seem a bit bland at first glance. But if you look closely, you’ll find that quite a few plants have interesting bark that is actually easier to appreciate without the ...

When we think of bark on a tree, we tend to compare it to the skin of a human. The primary function of both bark and skin is to protect the material within and beneath it. In Grade 7, we learned that ...

Leaves and flowers make a tree beautiful, but while you're admiring them, don't ignore the tree's bark. Take a look at eucalyptus, crape myrtle, our native Sonoran palo brea and Arizona sycamore. They ...

The center of a tree or shrub stem (from roots to trunk, branches, and twigs) is woody, composed of xylem cells that conduct water from the roots to the upper parts of the tree. That woody section is ...

Autumn’s fiery-colored leaves have fallen, so now let’s look for more subtle beauty in trees and shrubs. Like a developing photographic image, the textures and colors of bark come into view in the ...

A walk in the woods this time of year is different. It’s quiet and monochromatic. Other than the crunch of your shoes on frozen ground, there isn’t as much to see or hear as a forest in spring or ...