Tree leaf identification - Pennsylvania

Just notified of a tree leaf identification event at Montour Environmental Preserve, Washingtonville, Pennsylvania, this Saturday, 30th October.

Beginning at the Environmental Education Center, PPL naturalist Jon Beam will address tree identification techniques. Later, test what you have learned outdoors and identify the native trees on the preserve.

Red maple, American basswood and white pine are just a few of the many types of trees at PPL’s Montour Environmental Preserve. Learn to identify Pennsylvania trees and learn about their natural history at a program from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Red maple, American basswood and white pine are just a few of the many types of trees at PPL’s Montour Environmental Preserve. Learn to identify Pennsylvania trees and learn about their natural history at a program from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Tree leaf identification starting out

When I first considered tree leaf identification as a means to working out, what I was looking at, I was a little sceptical and unsure how I would get on.

I had heard of the terms palmate, obviate, alternate etc, which all sounded like a foreign language and something I would never get to grips with.

To start out, I found it easiest, to use trees I knew, or was able to identify through people I knew and then compare the leaf to the guide. Reading the description and ensuring I understood what they were describing and how it related to what I had in front of me.

Relatively quickly, this foreign language began to make sense and I was able, with confidence, to read a leaf description and relate to what I was looking at, making for more precise and accurate identification than I had done previously.

In almost no time, I too was able to describe a leaf, using the correct terminology, referencing trees and helping friends.

Tree leaf identification, is not contrary to popular conception, something you can only do in the Summer months, it is a year round opportunity. The different coloration of leaves at different times of the year, provide clues as to the plant being looked at and can distinguish similar looking leaves at different times of the year.

Even if you are not particularly interested in identifying to specific level every, or even any trees, by actually knowing what you are looking at, the countryside, or town becomes a more meaningful place.

If you know a little about the trees themselves, their growing patterns, preferred conditions, when looking at a photograph you can gain a far greater impression of what you are looking at. An understanding of the topography and geography of the area in question.

Tree leaf identification, needn't be an obsession, it is a highly valuable education.

For a beginners guide to tree leaf identification, I recommend starting here

Tree leaf identification - upcoming workshop Connecticut

I have just seen notification of a workshop on tree leaf identification in Connecticut, this weekend, 22nd September at 10 a.m.

Jim Luce, supervisor of the grounds at Connecticut College, will be hosting the workshop at the College Arboretum and will focus on identifying trees by their leaves.


The workshop begins with a brief lecture, followed by a walk, in which participants will practice the techniques learnt.

The text for the course is available here

Trees of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada

a book by William M. Harlow.

Registration is $15 for Arboretum members and $18 for the general public. (Students who already have a copy of the text may deduct $9.)

For further information or to register, call 860-439-5060.

Tree leaf identification Rockies and Intermountain western region

Tree leaf identification in the rockies and Intermountain areas, leads to diversification and a chance to discover alot about how trees grow.

Unique among pines, the needles of a Bristlecone Pine are frosted with tiny white pitch droplets.

The oldest living trees in the United States, bristlecone pines range to 2,500 years old. Its durable wood allows it to stand intact for hundreds of years until its root system decays. Bristlecone pines grow to only 30 feet in height. The native habitat of this pine is on the eastern ridges of the Rocky Mountains extending south from Wyoming to New Mexico.


Western Juniper tree, another long lived tree, up to 1,500 years old

Western juniper occurs in Oregon, Idaho, California, Washington, and Nevada at altitudes of 800-3,000 m. The shoots are 1-1.5 mm in diameter. The leaves are arranged in opposite decussate pairs or whorls of three; the adult leaves are scale-like and 1-2 mm long (to 5 mm on lead shoots) and 1-1.5 mm broad.


Big Tooth Maple, Big tooth maple is a beautiful upright to spreading tree to 50 feet

Found most commonly in mountain washes and on steep creek sides. The Big tooth Maple has, simple and palmately veined leaves, 2 to 3 1/2 inches long and wide, 3 to 5 lobed, a few widely spaced rounded teeth, green above, lighter below with some fuzz.

The Black Cottonwood tree is very fast growing, reaching about 40 metres

Black cottonwood trees have triangular or heart-shaped leaves. The trunk becomes grey and has deep grooves when it gets older. They rarely get older than 200 years. Mopst commonly found in we areas, usually at low elevations.


For a full guide to tree identification in this area, I recommend this guide.

Trees Of The Rocky Mountains & Intermountain West (Trees of the Us)

Tree leaf identification South Western Region

Tree leaf identification in the South Western region of North America, the sheer number and variety of North American trees can make identification a daunting task.

The Joshua tree which is native to the south western United States.

Range
Mojave Desert of extreme southwest California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, at elevations from 2,000 to 6,000 feet.

Habitat
Dry soils on plains, slopes and mesas, often growing in groves.

Flowers
Bell-shaped, 1.25 to 1.5 inches with 6 creamy, yellow-green sepals. Crowded into 12 to 18 inch, many-branched clusters with an unpleasant odor, mostly in the spring. Not all trees flower annually.


Desert Apricot, occurs in Riverside and San Diego counties, California, a good place to find the tree is, strangely, Plum Canyon.

Leaf:Alternate, simple, cordate to nearly round, 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long, finely crenate, shiny green above and below.
Flower:Small (1/2 to 1 inch across), with 5 white petals, long filaments, yellowish to red centers, occurring in clusters of 1 to 10, appear in early spring with the leaves.
Fruit:Drupe, round to egg-shaped, creased on one side, 1/2 inch across, fuzzy, dry pulp, yellow-green when it ripens in summer.
Twig:Slender, short, shiny reddish brown, most are quite stiff and end in a spine, spurs present, buds small.
Bark:Reddish brown, smooth some short horizontal lenticels, turning grayer with age.
A multi-stemmed, thorny shrub or small tree with a spreading crown, reaches up to 15 feet in height.

The Arizona oak is among the largest of the southwestern oaks.

It has a rounded crown with wood that is hard and difficult to split. The "evergreen" leaves are dropped before the new leaves emerge. Leaves are broadly oval and the upper surfaces bluish green. The undersides of this oak's leaves are permanently and densely matted with short, fuzzy, light brown hairs. The insides of the acorn cups are also fuzzy.

I found this useful guide for tree leaf identification in South Western USA.

Trees Of The American Southwest (Trees of the Us)

Tree leaf identification events coming up

A quick notification of a couple of tree leaf identification events, I have noticed.

The first is Located in Millcreek Township in Erie County, PA at Asbury Woods, which is a 200-acre tract of wetlands, trails, forests, streams, fields and historic properties.

Date: Saturday, October 6

Time: 10:00 am - Noon

Ages: Adults & Children 8 years and up accompanied by an adult

Location: Nature Center

Fee: Members $10, Nonmembers $12/Parent/Child pair pay only one fee (includes Tree ID book & Tree Key) This class is for anyone who wants to know how to identify trees, or those who are doing a leaf project for school. You will learn how to identify trees by using a tree key, by leaf shape, and even by the bark.

Pre-Registration and Payment Required.

Asbury Woods
4105 Asbury Road
Erie, PA 16506
(814) 835-5356

for more information.

The second is

WYKOFF, Minn. -- Forest wildlife and native tree identification workshops are planned Sept. 15 in the Forestville State Park Nature Center located about 6 miles south of Wykoff.

The Forest Wildlife Class runs from 9 a.m.-noon and the Native Tree Identification Class runs from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

Forest wildlife participants will learn from a local wildlife expert about how to attract native wildlife to their property by managing a variety of plant and animal species.

The native tree session offers information about common tree species in southeastern Minnesota.

The cost is $20 per class and $5 for lunch. For more information or to register, call (507) 536-6310.

Also on 15th September, this time in North Carolina Join the rangers for educational interpretive programs. Easy one-mile hike focusing on tree identification. 10 a.m .




South Mountains State Park, 3001 South Mountains State Park Ave., Connelly Springs. 828-433-4772.

If you are aware of any upcoming tree identification walsk or trails, be sure to add it to teh comments section.

Tree Leaf Identification Eastern Region

Specifically looking at tree leaf identification in the Easter Region of the North America, there are over 350 different Species.

Many of these trees are indigenous, though some have been introduced from other continents.

When aiming to identify a tree, it is often helpful to have more than just the leaf to look at, notes on leaf characteristics, bark characteristics, size, form, habitat, seeds, flowers etc. will all help in the identification process.

During fall, there are some stunning places, from where you can see the leaves turning to their fall colors.

People flock to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, as one such location. From an elevated view, it is possible to see the mountains and valleys that make up the Southern Highlands and capture a truly memorable view.

From late September, Dogwood begins to turn deep red.

Alternate-leaved Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)

Fairly common large shrub or small tree found primarily in the Mountains in North Carolina, rare in the Piedmont. Appropriately enough, it differs from other species of Cornus in having alternate leaves - all our other species are opposite-leaved. The leaf venation and flowers are similar to other dogwoods

Hickories follow with a bright yellow

Shellbark Hickory is very rare in North Carolina

The leaves are distictively large (over a foot long), normally with 7-9 leaflets. The nuts are very large, as you might guess from another of its common names: Kingnut.

with red maples adding more red to the scene.

One of our most common and familiar trees throughout North Carolina

Sassafras become a brilliant orange

Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, alternate, 6–15(–18) cm long, (2–)5–10 cm wide, obovate or oval or ovate, leaf margins entire, unlobed or shallowly lobed or moderately lobed or deeply lobed, palmately lobed, leaf lobes 1–3(–5) per leaf, leaf apices acute or obtuse, leaf bases cuneate. Leaf upper surface green, glabrous or glabrate. Leaf lower surface green, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent. Leaf venation palmate or pinnate. Petioles 1.9–3.8 cm long. Stipules absent.

and Oaks finish off the fall as they turn through red and brown.

Chestnut Oak

is a dominant tree of rocky hilltops and mountains in the Piedmont and Mountain regions of North Carolina.The leaves are evenly and bluntly toothed

With extensive Appalachian conifers maintaining a green backdrop all year round.

For more information on tree leaf identification in the Eastern Region of North America, this is a great guide

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern)