Leaves are turning beautiful shades of yellow, orange, red and brown and are falling from the trees – aided and abetted by the winds, there can be no denying autumn is here!
For many this is a sign of miserable cold, damp, dark and dank things to come.
But for the eXtreme botanist Autumn signifies the commencement of another round of botanical fun!
Identifying trees and other plants when the flowers and even the leaves are going, going or gone altogether!
Autumnal challenges for the eXtreme botanist:
1. Can you ID a tree from its autumnal colours?
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- Yellow – Acer platanoides (Norway Maple)
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- Brown/red – Quercus rubra (Red Oak)
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- Brilliant red – Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum)
2. Can you ID a tree by first looking just at the leaves fallen beneath it?
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- Fagus sylvatica (Beech) leaves, but lots of others too in this tree stump
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- The palmate leaf of Aesculus hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut )
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- The lobed leaves of Quercus (Oak, here mainly Q cerris – Turkey Oak)
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- Palmate leaves of Acer (Maple, here Silver Maple – Acer saccharinum)
3. Can you ID a tree from its leafless (but not lifeless) twigs? (OK these are not all leafless but you know what I mean!).
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- Fraxinus excelsior (Ash) black buds
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- Acer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore) green, round, opposite buds
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- Carpinus betulus (Hornbeam) brown, oval buds
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- Fagus sylvatica (Beech) brown, long pointed buds
4. Can you ID a tree from its bark?
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- Smooth, striate bark of Carpinus betulus (Hornbeam)
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- White, peeling bark of Betula pendula (Silver Birch)
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- Reddish, flaking bark of Aesculus hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut)
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- Grey, deeply fissured bark of Quercus robur (Common Oak)
5. Can you ID a tree from the remains of its fruits? (more tree fruits to come here when Dr M gets his camera out!)
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- This looks like a Maple but the fruit says NO! I’m Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum)
Autumn: one more amazing, challenging and fun season in the eXtreme botanical calendar!
Close-up: Click on any of the images once and then a second time to see the autumnal arboreal beauty in glorious close-up!
October 30, 2013
