Betula papyrifera …it is now one of the best loved trees of the New England landscape, and when we remember a scene there, we see birches in it — gleaming white trunks, houses, and churches painted a cold, clean white, and pure country snow stretching white over dale and hill. — Donald Culross Peattie Beauty and romance may be the first images many people associate with the gleaming white paper birch. But this symbol of the north country, and the…
Sorbus americana Looking for a shield to cast off witches and malevolence? Travel back to 18th century Europe and residents would tell you to use mountainash wood as a guard to keeping witches away.…
Quercus macrocarpa Despite its acorns being called “frilled,” there is nothing dainty about the bur oak tree. The frills around its gigantic acorn are wild and woolly, and the top of the cap is…
Cornus kousa Dogwood trees are well known for their delicate beauty in the landscape. Kousa dogwood not only meets the standard for attractiveness, it adds a hardiness that makes this species an excellent choice for…
Cornus florida Flowering dogwood holds a special place in the heart of all who love trees. Perhaps this is because of its bloom — bursting forth in the dark woods or barren backyard with…
A common thread that runs through the fabric of America is our love for wildlife. Whether it is a squirrel in a city park or a hovering marsh hawk hunting the edges of a…
Abies concolor If you ramble around in the central mountains of the West, chances are good that you will encounter a white fir. You can fit it near the tourist meccas in Yosemite Valley…
If stately timbers in the lobby of Lied Lodge & Conference Center at Arbor Day Farm could speak about what has passed beneath them in the 25 years since they were erected, what tales…
Were they water maidens in the long ago, that they lean out sadly looking down below? — Walter Prichard Eaton If ever there were a tree to stir the heart of a poet, weeping…
Gleditsia triacanthos form inermis One of the most startling trees to encounter on a walk in the riparian woodlands of the east and Midwest is our native honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos. It just can’t be…