Tree Detectives: How to Identify Trees in Any Season
Tree identification by photo is a very interesting thing to do, and it becomes a little difficult when there are no leaves on the trees, like in winter or during a dry season.
Without the usual clues, such as the shape of a leaf, its color, and how it is placed on the branch, it might seem like all trees look the same.
But in fact, every type of tree has many other special signs that can tell you everything about it.
Being able to know what a tree is by its winter features is a skill that shows a person is an experienced nature lover and not just a normal person who likes nature, and it is a chance to understand nature more deeply and learn to see small things you did not notice before.
Bark: the Tree's Passport
The bark is probably the most reliable and easy sign for a tree's identity at any time of the year, and its appearance is very unique for each type of tree, just like fingerprints.
Texture: The bark can be smooth, peeling (sycamore, common pine), have deep cracks (oak, poplar), or be fibrous (juniper).
Pattern: On cherry and birch trees, the bark has horizontal stripes called lenticels. An ash tree has cracks in a diamond shape, and an aspen has a smooth, gray-green surface with darker spots. The bark of a sycamore tree peels off in large pieces, which makes it look like a camouflage pattern.
Color: The bark can be white (birch), gray (hornbeam), black (bird cherry), or reddish-brown (pine), and its color can change as the tree gets older, so a young tree and an old tree of the same type might have bark that looks different.
General Shape and Silhouette: the Crown's Architecture
When there are no leaves on the trees, their crown shows its true shape.
The general silhouette, the shape, and how thick the branches are can be very special for a tree.
A branched and wide crown: Trees like the oak, maple, or ash often have strong, wide-spreading branches that create a round or oval shape.
A conical shape: Many coniferous trees, such as the spruce or fir, keep their conical shape, with their branches growing in layers and becoming smaller towards the top.
A weeping shape: The weeping willow is the clearest example of a tree with thin, hanging branches that make a kind of "waterfall" shape.
A columnar shape: The poplar, especially the Lombardy poplar, has a very narrow and tall crown, which makes it easy to know even from a long distance.
The Position of Branches and Buds: Symmetry and Order
The way branches and buds grow on a shoot is one of the most important signs, and it is one of the most correct clues you can use at any time of the year because there are two main types of arrangement.
Opposite: Branches and buds grow in pairs, directly across from each other at the same level, and this sign is for trees like maples, ash, chestnuts, and some bushes.
If you see that the branches are coming off the trunk in a symmetric way, it is probably one of these trees.
Alternate: Branches and buds are placed in a spiral or a zigzag pattern, and this is the most common type of arrangement for trees like the oak, birch, willow, and pine.
Just by looking at the position of the branches at a low height, you can quickly say if some options are not correct or, on the other hand, if they are.
Winter Buds: a Key to the Puzzle
The buds, which hold the future leaves, flowers, and shoots, are small but very helpful because their shape, color, size, and position are very special for each tree.
Large and sharp buds: The buds of a beech tree are long and pointed and are covered with silky hairs, while the buds of an oak are small and round and are at the end of the shoot.
Color and texture: The buds of an ash tree are black and velvety, and the buds of a maple are reddish and smooth.
Position: Just like the branches, the buds can be in opposite or alternate positions, and for example, the opposite position of black buds on dark branches almost always means it is an ash tree.
Fruits and Seeds: a Winter Harvest
Cones: Coniferous trees, of course, can be known by their cones, and the size, shape, and position of the cones (spruce, pine, fir) are very special.
Acorns and nuts: You can know oak trees by their acorns, beech trees by their triangular nuts, and chestnut trees by their spiky shells.
Samaras: Maples and ash trees have special winged seeds that can hang on the branches until spring, with the maple's being in pairs and the ash's being single.
Berries: The rowan tree and hawthorn can be known by their bunches of red berries that stay on the tree and are food for birds.
Smell: an Invisible Sign
Some trees have a special smell that you can feel if you rub the bark or break a small branch.
A special scent: The smell of a freshly broken birch branch has a tar-like smell, a bird cherry branch has a bitter almond smell, and a poplar has a sweet, resinous smell.
Coniferous scent: The smell of the needles and resin also changes between different types of pines, spruces, and firs.
This method does not always work, but it can be an extra way to check your ideas.
The Color and Texture of Young Branches
Even though we already talked about the bark, it is important to notice the color and texture of the young branches, which are often different from the main trunk.
Bright colors: On some willow trees, the branches are a bright yellow or red, and on a dogwood, the shoots can be a bright red or green.
Hairiness: Young shoots can be smooth, hairy for example, on a beech tree, or even covered with a small amount of "wax" on some types of spruce.
Shape: Shoots can be thin and flexible like willow or thick and stiff like oak, and a poplar's shoots often have ribs.
Marks on the Trunk and Branches: Signs From Nature and Animals
Bird marks: The round holes made by woodpeckers can show you some types of trees that they like to eat from.
Nests: The winter nests of birds, especially hunting birds, are often built on certain types of trees that give good protection and a clear view.
Lichens and mosses: The types of lichens that grow on the trunk can be connected to certain types of trees.
These signs are not always clear, but they can be helpful clues, but if you’re not sure then use AI Plant Finder.
Location and Habitat: Who Lives Where
By knowing what kind of places certain trees grow in, you can make your search smaller.
Wet places: Willows, alders, and poplars often grow along rivers, lakes, and in wet, low areas.
Dry slopes: Pine, juniper, and oak trees like dry, sunny places.
Mixed forests: Birch, aspen, and spruce trees are often found in mixed forests where there are many different types of trees.
Looking at the place where the tree lives is a quick and good way to start identifying it.
The Shape of Leaf Scars: Traces of Falling Leaves
After a leaf falls off, a small scar is left on the shoot, and its shape, size, and position can be very special.
The number of vascular bundle scars: On the leaf scar, you can see small dots that are the marks of the vascular bundles, and their number and position can be a sign for different types of trees. For example, an oak has many scattered dots, but a maple has three.
The shape of the scar: The leaf scar can be in a V shape, a U shape, or a round shape.
Looking at these small details, especially on young shoots, helps you know the type of tree very exactly.
You can start by watching the most common trees in your area, and over time you will be able to identify them just by looking, without getting close.