Tree Identification 12: Eastern Redbud

Eastern Redbud: Ceris canadensis

aka Judas Tree

This is a tree that I photographed the flowers in early March, when we began our Forest and Rail class. The flowers were beautiful and provided a welcomed display of color after the dull of winter. They have since given way to deep green leaves and pale green-brown pods. While the tree featured here is an urban transplant, this is a native species to our area and can be readily found on the sides of roads and forests.

The tree is a relative of the western Asian variety of Ceris siliquastrum or Judas Tree. This is the tree is believed to be the tree that Judas Iscariot hanged himself on after his betrayal of Jesus. The flowers which were originally white then turned red with shame or blood.

The fruit are flattened, dry, brown, pea-like pods, 2-4 inches long that contain flat, elliptical, brown seeds ¼ inch long, maturing in August to October.

Red brown, with deep fissures and scaly surface. 

The flowers appear in early spring before the leaves appear.

Tree Identification 11: Eastern Redcedar

Eastern Redcedar: Juniverus virginiana

This Eastern Redcedar is another tree in Ritter Park. It is approximately 50 feet tall and has an aromatic evergreen smell. Its trunk is a reddish brown/white color and appears to be devoid of bark. Its leaves are dark green, scalelike, not toothed. These trees can live extremely long lives with an Eastern Redcedar estimated to be 795 years old in Missouri.

The bark is reddish-brown, fibrous, and peels off in narrow strips.

Tree Identification 10: Eastern White Pine

Eastern White Pine: Pinus stobus

One of the things that has drawn me to tree identification is that it is challenging. Every time I think I know something or that identification will be easy, I dig deeper and find that there are many varieties of trees in the same family that have similar characteristics. The Eastern White Pine is no exception. I saw this tree in Huntington on my way to Ritter Park and thought there is a pine tree, that should be easy to identify. Upon referencing my National Audubon Society Field Guide I realized there are dozens of of varieties of pine trees. So much for just saying it is a pine tree!

The reason I immediately identified it as a pine tree was because of its long needles and somewhat Christmas Tree shape. What I discovered by closely examining the needles is that this particular variety has five needles bundled together. Most other varieties have 2-3 needs bundled together. As you can see from the picture below it was nearly impossible to get an up close picture of the trunk because of the numerous branches fingering from the trunk in a weaving pattern.

White pine has historically been a tree that has been cultivated and harvested for its lumber as it is soft wood and is easy to work and cut. The boards are normally knot free and are still used in plywood, paneling, flooring and lumber. It also has medicinal uses and its needles can be made into tea. The needles have more vitamin C that an equivalent weight of lemon and the cambium is a source of resveratrol, a naturally occurring chemical compound with probable health benefits.

Flexible, bluish-green, finely serrated needles in bundles of 5.





Tree Identification 9: Southern Catalpa

Southen Catalpa (aka Cigar Tree and Indian Bean Tree): Catalpa bignonioides

My first encounter with the Catlapa or Cigar Tree was our trip to Ritter Park in April. There Steve Beckelhimer showed the class two examples in the park and explained they get their Cigar Tree nickname from the 6-10" bean-like pods that were readily evident then. I was unable to visualize or photograph any of the beans at this date. The leaves of the Catalpa are large and heart shaped. The tree produces 2-2 1/4" white flowers in June and July, after its leaves have reached maturity.

 Large, heart-shaped to three-lobed leaves, showy white or yellow flowers ain broad panicles

Bark: Light brown tinged with red

Due to their large leaf size, catalpas provide very dark shade and are a popular habitat for many birds, providing them good shelter from rain and wind.

Tree Identification 8: Silver Maple

Silver Maple: Acer saccharinum

One of the things that I have discovered, now that I am aware that not all trees are the same or created equal, is that there are a lot of trees out there that are in the Maple or Acer family. While some are easily identifiable, others are cross bred designer trees with colors and leaf patterns not readily found in nature. In exploring my world around Enslow, I have found Maple varieties to be rather ubiquitous. The Silver Maple identified here tends to be a leading contender along with the Sugar Maple previously identified for tree king or queen in the Highlawn neighborhood.

The Silver Maple is similar to the Sugar Maple that was previously identified in many ways. But, there are several differences between the Silver and Sugar Maple. One would be the silver coloring on the back of the leaves and that the overall size of the Silver is larger (3-5 inches on the Sugar as opposed to 5-7 inches on the Silver). The Silver Maple also has less sap sugar than the Sugar Maple. Although it grows in the same regions as the Sugar Maple, its sap isn't commercially tapped for this reason. The tree also has a shorter life expectancy than the Sugar Maple. The Sugar Maple's life expectancy is over 200 years, whereas the Silver Maple's life expectancy is around 130-140 years.



Silvery gray on young trees breaking into long thin scaly plates that give the trunks of older trees a very shaggy appearance. Considerable red is seen in bark pattern as scales develop.



5-7 inches wide; deeply clefted; 5-lobed with the sides of the terminal lobe diverging toward the tip; light green upper surface and a silvery white underside; leaf margin with fine teeth (but not the inner edges of the sinuses).

Tree Identification 7: Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple: Acer saccharum

In continuing my spotlight on the trees fronting Enslow Middle School and Collis Avenue, I am showing the Sugar Maple. Again, seven of the nine trees in front of the school are maples, the other two are Pin Oaks. These too are aged the same as the school from the late nineteen teens (the school was opened in 1917).

The leaves are five lobed and bright green on the surface with lighter green undersides. The bark is grey with long vertical fissures. The trees are prized for their sap because of its high sugar content. The sap is collected and boiled down into maple syrup. I can say I am a big fan of the real stuff. Maple syrup is definitely superior in taste to the artificially flavored corn syrup alternative.

Most of the trees exceeds forty feet in height

Furrows and long, irregular, thick vertical plates that appear to peal from the trunk in a vertical direction.

3-5 inches wide; 5 lobed bright green upper surface and a paler green lower surface; leaf margin without fine teeth

Tree Identification 6: Pin Oak

Pin Oak: Quercus palustris 

One of the many jewels that we have at Enslow Middle School is a row of maple and oak trees in front of our school, lining Collis Avenue (names for Collis P. Huntington). There are nine trees total, seven maple and two oak that provide a solid canopy of vibrant green leaves to shade the front of the school on its north face. All of these trees are mature and their age rivals that of the school's 1917 beginnings. I have been told there are photos of the school with these trees as saplings, but I'm still trying to uncover those treasures. I will try to supply a comparative photo if possible.

The leaves' lobes alternate, are simple, 3 to 6 inches long, oval in outline with 5 to 9 bristle-tipped lobes and irregularly deep sinuses that extend nearly to the midrib. Major lobes form a U-shape. They are bright green above and pale below. Oaks are hardwood trees, but generally are not considered for high quality products because of numerous small knots through its wood. Pin Oaks produce acorns in the fall that are a vital part of mallards and wood duck's diet as they migrate during the fall.

A view of the tree across Collis Avenue



The trunk is 12' round at chest height and is approximately 20' tall. The canopy easily doubles the height of the tree.



Gray- fissured bark



The leaves have at lest five lobes and reddish-brown stems.

Pin oak is the second tree in the row. A maple tree in the foreground.

Harpers Ferry West Virginia

I traveled to Washington, D.C. and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia this week with a group of 8th grade students from Enslow. We had a great time in D.C.  and got to experience some of West Virginia's history in Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry figures most prominently in U.S. and West Virginia's history because of the abolitionist John Brown's take over of the federal arsenal and armory. Brown attempted to create a free black state with the weapons obtained from the arsenal, but his revolution was put down by the U.S. Army, led by Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee.

Harpers Ferrys' rail history begins with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal reaching it in 1833 and Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road reaching it in 1834. The C & O Canal connected Harpers Ferry with Washington, D. C. Because of it's location at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers it was an early starting point for explorers heading west. Today it is the western boundary of West Virginia where it meets Virginia and Maryland.

The train station as it appears today. Despite its dilapidated appearance, it is still a working Amtrak station.



View looking from the train station across the Potomac River into Maryland



View of the bridge crossing the Potomac River from Jefferson Rock

Engine House- Site of  John Brown's Fort

Steeple of St.Peter's Roman Catholic Church



Picturesque view Thomas Jefferson had looking across the Shenandoah into Virginia.



Tree Identification 5: Red Mulberry

Red Mulberry: Morus rubra

This week has been a challenging week here at EMS. In the mornings we have the West Test 2 and in the afternoon we have three hours to engage our students in non-curricular activities. One of the highlights of the afternoon was a trip to McClellan Park in Huntington with our 8th grade class. We enjoyed an afternoon on hoops, tennis, Frisbee, sunbathing and good conversation.

When I first got to the park a tree growing on the side of the hill caught my eye. It had berries that are various shades of red and dark green leaves. One of my students told me that the berries taste best when they are a purplish-blue color. She ate a dark red berry and said it tasted good! I asked her what kind of tree it was and she responded "a berry tree!" While this would be a sufficient description prior to my Forest and Rail class, it is no longer satisfactory.

My research into the Audubon Society's Field Guide to Trees let me to identifying the tree as a Red Mulberry. It states that the berries are sweet and juicy and thankfully edible (the young lady came to school today and appeared no worse for the wear).

Tree Identification 4: Red Spruce

Red Spruce: Picea rubens

One of the trees Steve identified during our visit to Ritter Park that stuck out to me was the Red Spruce. I was pretty sure that was the species that stands next to my house and it turns out I was right. Below is the tree in my yard. I am unsure of its age, but it stands about 30 feet tall. In researching the Red Spruce, I found that it was once found in many places in West Virginia including the Canaan Valley, Roaring Plains West Wilderness, Dolly Sods Wilderness, Spruce mountain and Spruce Knob. The virgin stand at Gaudineer Scenic Area is still intact today thanks to a surveyors mistake in the early 20th century.

Notice the baby bottle brush like leaves on the stems.

Scale-like bark with red underneath.

Cone

Tree Identification 3: European Holly

European Holly: Ilex aquilfolium

One of the classes I have mentioned teaching  previously is an exploratory AA that I created after my exposure to Steve and Pat's teaching on tree identification. On one of our recent walks I photographed this tree that I generically identified as a holly. Upon researching holly trees, I found there are over 600 varieties (many ornamental). The species identified here is European Holly. In addition to the leaves and trunk, flowers are also present. These are both male and female flowers visible in the photo.