Bare Trees: Our Early Spring Walk

Friends of Big Rock Park held their first event of the season--a walk lead by ecologist Dr. Paul Weihe. We learned to identify and appreciate trees without leaves. Several of the walkers were new to Iowa and wanted to learn what trees are native to our state.

Iowa's most common type of timber are oak-hickory forests.

Oaks are slow growing but strong with "ski slope" bark, somtimes taking on different colors. This red oak tree, shown below, with bark shading of white, black, green, and red is older than Pella!

Oaks hang onto their leaves longer than many other deciduous trees, keeping them well into winter. It's thought that this might serve as a buffer against winter winds and also help the trees warm up when spring comes.

The large fallen tree near the shelter house is an oak. One identifying feature is the starburst pattern within the branch. This star pattern translates into waves when oak is used for building.

Oaks are hardy and even a half dead one will provide plenty of habitat for forest creatures.

The Shagbark Hickory is hard to miss with its bark looking like a league of wild cats attacked a favorite couch.

This poor shagbark, below, was killed during the growing season and unable to undergo seasonal abscission and shed its leaves.

The distinctive ridged bark of the hackberry makes for good photos.

Large, in charge and near water. It must be an Eastern Cottonwood! These are fast growing with weak branches that drop a lot of wood. They aren't good yard trees. although historically, they've had numorus uses, including arthritus wraps.

The characteristic burst of thorns is found in a Honey Locust.

Shaggy bark and a leak of sap help identify this as a black cherry. These tres grow small cherries with pits and aren't generally used by humans, but many wild critters including birds and butterflies love them.

It's even possible to identify a tree from just a stick. Look for leaf scars and check if they are opposite each other or alternated. A big bud such as shown below means a big flower is wintering in there. If it's wrapped in a fuzzy coat, it's a magnolia.

A great time was had by all. Thank you to the Pella Community Foundation for sponsoring this event, to the Friends of Big Rock Park for their arrangement, and to Dr. Paul Weihe of Central College!