Ryerson Woods - Trees in the Winter

TREES IN THE WINTER AT RYERSON WOODS

It can be difficult to identify trees in the winter, but here are some hints that will help you identify a few of the trees at Ryerson.

Clue #1: Branching Formations

Some of the best clues are found on twigs. Bring your binoculars!
Studying the details such as the leaf buds and leaf scars can get complicated, but here is an easy clue to look for.

All trees have either 'opposite' or 'alternate' branching as shown here.


Opposite Branching		Alternate Branching

The only native trees or shrubs at Ryerson that have opposite branching are:

Maple
Ash
Dogwood
Horse Chestnut
Viburnums

The Dogwoods are small. There are a few by the program cabin. Any Viburnums are shrubs. There are no Horse Chestnuts at Ryerson. So chances are, in the woods at Ryerson, if the branching is opposite, you have found a tree in either the maple or ash family.

Clue #2: Bark

Is it a maple tree or is it an ash?
Tree bark can be very distinctive.

White Ash is easy to identify.
As you can see in this photograph, it has ridges that are set in a definite diamond shaped pattern. The twigs are thicker than those on maple trees and are set on the branches in a wide U shape.

Sugar Maple trees
are common in the woods northeast of the Visitors Center. The smaller trees have smooth bark. The older and larger trees have gray bark without any particular pattern, and may have some longer irregular plates toward the top of the trunks that curl out at the edges. Thin twigs are set on the branches in a V shape.

You may see Silver Maples down by the Des Plaines River. The bark of the silver maple tree is also very smooth on younger trees; older trees have bark that is scaly with plates free at both ends. But their biggest clue are the red flower buds clustered along the branches.
(silver maple photos courtesy of Ohio DNR)

Here are a few other trees at Ryerson Woods that have very distinctive bark.
CLICK for bigger pictures of tree bark.


Black Cherry small, very dark, loose looking plates; often referred to as "potato chip" bark	Cottonwood big tree with thick brown bark divided into thick rounded to angular sided ridges	Red Oak ridges interspersed with rough vertical areas give it a "zebra stripe" or "ski slope" look


White Oak deeply ridged, often with patches of flaky light gray bark that is easily rubbed off, due to a fungus (not harmful to the tree)	Shagbark Hickory gray bark with plates pulling away from the trunk at the top and bottom	Musclewood usually a smaller tree with very smooth bluish gray bark over muscular wood

Clue #3: Twigs

Are the twigs thick or thin? Maples and elms have many thin delicate twigs; walnuts have fewer, thicker twigs.

Are the buds distinctive? Basswood trees have red buds with two overlapping scales. Bitternut (Yellow Bud) Hickory buds are yellow. Tulip trees have buds that look like duck bills. Horse Chestnut buds are sticky.


Basswood (Linden)	Bitternut (Yellow Bud) Hickory

Are there thorns?
Many hawthorns have sharp single thorns. The native Honey Locust has branched thorns on the twigs and even on the tree trunks!

Is there a smell if the twig is broken? Sassafrass smells delicious; some people think that Sugar Maples smell unpleasant. Black Walnut leaves and nuts have a citrus smell.

Is the leaf scar unique? When a leaf falls off of a tree, it usually leaves a little scar on the twig. Some are heart shaped, like the Kentucky Coffee Tree. Maple tree leaf scars have 3 dots. White Walnut leaf scars resemble heart-shaped faces with fuzzy eyebrows. Ash scars have tiny dots in a row that look like little smiles.

< Green Ash leaf scar and bud

Take a closer look this winter -- you may find that you can learn to identify trees as easily in the winter as in the summer when they have leaves!

Clue #4: Nuts, Seeds and Berries

Can you find any acorns, nuts, catkins, fruits or seeds still on the tree? If they are on the ground, they may have been moved there by an animal, or blown by the wind. You can't be sure a seed that has fallen is still near its tree!

Here are a few seeds and nuts you may find that are easy to identify.


Hickory Nuts	Sycamore Seeds	Basswood Seeds


Burr Oak Acorns large acorns with 'hairy' caps	Red Oak Acorns caps like little berets	White Oak Acorn longer nut with more fitted cap

You may want to purchase the 'Winter Tree Finder' by May Theilgaard Watts and Tom Watts. This little booklet can help you identify deciduous trees in winter and offers many details not mentioned here.

The Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) and The Ohio Historical Society (OHS) host an easy to use tree identification site at:
http://www.oplin.org/tree/.
More information and photos of trees in the midwest can be found at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources web site on Ohio's trees.

And watch for the Winter Tree Identification course offered by the Lake County Forest Preserve District every winter. There is usually a field study at Ryerson Woods. Call 847-968-3321 for more information.

Meanwhile, visit Ryerson Woods in the winter to walk the trails or cross-country ski when there is snow and see how many trees you you have learned to identify.

(unless noted, twig, bark and bud photos courtesy of Sue Auerbach)