A Year With the Trees

Mountain Winterberry - Ilex montana

2012-02-22T22:40:00.000-05:00

Aquifoliaceae family
Ilex Montana before the leaves and berries.

The berries come onto the twigs in April - May and will stay on the tree through the winter to feed many species of birds.

PawPaw, Asimina triloba

2012-02-20T23:22:00.002-05:00

Annonaceae - Custard Apple Family

2012-02-13T22:58:00.002-05:00

Mountain Maple, Acer spicatum

My favorite Mountain Maple lives up on the top of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.

Sugar Maple - Acer saccharum

2012-02-07T23:03:00.002-05:00

Acer saccharum

My favorite Sugar Maple lives at the Asheville Botanical Gardens. It is quite large and right near the front walk. I love to watch the changes in her buds and twigs and leaves and bark that I notice each time I go there.

The buds of the Sugar Maple are pointed with overlapping scales. The twigs are shiny, brownish gray and slender. The twigs and buds are opposite each other on the branches. I always notice the bark in the winter. Most of the Sugar Maples I know have a dark black bark when they get older.

Silver Maple - Acer saccharinum

2012-02-05T19:02:00.002-05:00

The Silver Maple in Arkansas is starting to flower out already on Feb. 5th.

The Acer saccharinum, Silver Maple bud that I drew today in my journal.

2012-02-03T22:54:00.000-05:00

Acer rubrum

My favorite red maple lives by the Davidson River ranger station near Brevard, North Carolina. The first time I saw this tree it was covered in flowers, which appear before the leaves.

Striped Maple - Acer pensylvanicum

2012-02-01T23:44:00.001-05:00

Striped Maple
Acer pensylvanicum

The Winter Striped Maple can be identified by looking at the twigs and bark.

On the twig, leaf scars are crescent shaped.

The Buds are reddish, with short stalk, narrow and ovoid shaped.. The buds are called valvate, which means the edges of the buds meet without overlapping.

Twigs are stout and striped or greenish. They grow opposite each other on the branches.

The bark will be green to brown while the tree is young. The tree will develop green and white striped bark.

My favorite Striped Maple lives at the Asheville Botanical Gardens.

Rebecca

Box Elder - Acer negundo

2012-01-22T14:21:00.001-05:00

Winter Tree Identification is quite challenging and fun. I have so much fun knowing what the trees are in the winter. The trees I do not recognize, I will get out my books and computer and figure it out.

The Winter Box Elder can be identified by looking at the twigs and bark.

On the twig, leaf scars meet in a raised point and you will see the leaf scars circling the stem.

Buds are covered in whitish hairs. The terminal bud is pointed, reddish, woolly.

Twigs are greenish to purple and slender and hairless. They grow opposite each other on the branches.

Epicormic branches can be seen sticking out on the trunk; they are usually green. These are little random branches that just stick out on the trunk.

The bark will be smooth while the tree is young. The tree will develop bark that is gray brown with interlacing ridges and furrows.

Here is my drawing/interpretation of a Box Elder Twig. I am learning to draw and it has been really fun drawing nature. If anyone is inspired to draw a Box Elder twig and send it to me, I would love it.

Box Elder Twig
Rebecca Priddy

My favorite Box Elder lives at the Asheville Botanical Gardens. It is on the left hand back side of the nature center office and store.

Aceraceae Twigs

2012-01-19T22:27:00.003-05:00

Aceraceae Twigs in a bow
Rebecca Priddy
January 19.2012

This family of trees, the Aceraceae Family. Is also known as the Maple family. There are some 120 species of trees in this family. I have been getting to know 6 of these species. These 6 species live in the Southern Appalachian mountains, same as me. So, I wanted to get to know them in all the seasons.

The 6 species that I have been spending time with are

Acer negundo - Box Elder

Acer pensylvanicum - Striped Maple

Acer rubrum - Red Maple

Acer saccharinum - Silver Maple

Acer saccharum - Sugar Maple

Acer spicatum - Mountain Maple

Characteristics of this Family

This family of trees derives its name from a Latin word meaning sharp. Sharp is a good way to describe the points on Maple leaves.

Maples have opposite leave arrangement.

"Mad horses buck" is a way to remember which trees have opposite leaf arrangement.

M for Maple

A for Ash

D for Dogwood

Horse for HorseChestnut

Buck for Buckeye.

(Opposite leaf arrangement means that the leaves grow opposite each other on the twigs.)

Maples have fruit called samaras.

Samaras can travel some distance with the wind when they come off of the tree.

On the light side, thinking of Aceraceae as a family then, they are a family of travelers with sharp edges. This sounds like alot of human families in this world.

Rebecca

January 2012

2012-01-14T22:45:00.000-05:00

A Year With the Trees - 2012

Box Elder drawing by R. Brooke Priddy

"And now let us welcome the new year; full of things that have never been." Rainer Maria Rilke

A Year With the Trees is changing. The 93 trees of "A Year With the Trees have become a big part of my life. For the past two years, I sought each one of these trees, found them and sat with them. I have looked into their branches, looked closely at the veins in the leaves, at the branching, at the bark, at the land each of these trees lives in, and at the birds that live in the branches. I watched the bared branches of winter sprout new green growth in the spring. I watched the fullness of summer life that lives in the trees, and watched how summer turned into fall with the changing color. I watched as the gold, brown, red and yellow leaves fell to the ground. I have seen the branches laid bare once again awaiting new growth in the spring.

I visited these 93 trees for two years in every season, and I still have so much more to learn about them. These trees have been such a blessing to me. For to be able to walk in the woods, or down the street, or in a park and be able to look at the trees in each season and know their name, has been such a rewarding experience for me.

I have gained such an appreciation for our arboreal friends. I know that life as we know it would not exist without these incredible beings. We, as humans, can breathe clean air and drink clean water because we live on the same planet with trees. Our soil does not erode where trees live. Birds and small mammals and moths and butterflies live with us because we live on the same planet with trees.

I believe that when one has an appreciation and gratitude for trees, one will naturally be led to treasure and protect the trees. So, I plan to nurture Priddy Woods, where I live, as an arboretum and teach tree appreciation and identification classes - using journals. I am starting with the Southern Appalachian trees - the very trees that I have been getting to know for the past two years.

This blog is changing to reflect my "Year With the Trees" Journalling classes. I hope you will join me here, or in my classes and really get close to the trees.

These 93 trees will be grouped into families this year. I will be letting you all know where you can find each tree. Then, you will be able to find each and every tree and sit with the trees yourself.

We will be visiting each tree four time a year, once per season. As I schedule my classes and tree visits, I will post them on my website. www.priddywoods.com. Also known as, www.robertpriddyphoto.com.

So, settle on back. Get a cup of tea. and check back soon as we begin with the first family I will be writing about - The Aceracae Family.

Drawing by Rebecca Priddy

December 31 - Black Locust

2012-01-13T20:27:00.002-05:00

Robina pseudoacacia

December 30 - Serviceberry

2011-12-30T20:18:00.000-05:00

December 29 - Shortleaf Pine - Pinus echinata

2011-12-29T21:25:00.000-05:00

Pinus echinata

December 28 - Red Bud - Cercis canadensis

2011-12-28T21:20:00.000-05:00

December 27 - Red Maple - Acer rubrum

2011-12-27T22:17:00.000-05:00

December 24 - Yellow Birch - Betula alleghaniensis

2011-12-24T22:06:00.000-05:00

December 23 - Pin Cherry - Prunus pensylvanica

2011-12-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

Prunus pensylvanica

December 22 - Red Mulberry - Morus rubra

2011-12-22T21:04:00.000-05:00

Morus rubra

December21 - Scarlet Oak - Quercus coccinea

2011-12-21T20:40:00.000-05:00

My Grandson drew this Scarlet Oak leaf. Thank you, Wyatt!

December 20 - Red Cedar - Juniperus virginiana

2011-12-20T22:15:00.000-05:00

December 19 - Red Spruce - Picea rubens

2011-12-19T22:02:00.000-05:00


Picea rubens always have their cones hanging down and the needles are sharp to the touch.

December 18 - Yellow Buckeye - Aesculus flava

2011-12-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

December 17 - Post Oak - Quercus stellata

2011-12-17T20:57:00.000-05:00

My Grandson, Canyon, drew the post oak acorn and Scarlet Oak leaf. Thank you, Canyon.


Here you can see the difference in shape between the two different Oak leaves.

December 16 - Pignut Hickory

2011-12-16T21:05:00.000-05:00

Carya ovata

December 14 - The Common Winterberry

2011-12-14T20:27:00.000-05:00

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