Bark

Northern Red Oak

You may think that the only way to identify a tree is by its leaves, however, Michael Mojtech shows you how to identify trees based on the structure of the bark in his field guide, "Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast". This guide makes it possible for the novice tree enthusiast to identify trees in the dead of Winter when the leaves have long since detached and are buried under feet of snow. From studying Mojtech's guide I learned that the bark we see reveals how the tree is responding to its expanding girth. It can be smooth, cracked, fissured, scaly, stripped, shaggy, curled, woven, furrowed. Awareness of the diversity of bark structure can result in a Winter hike that is aesthetically pleasing. Below are just some of the trees I came across during a recent snowshoe. Take notice of each tree's individual characteristics.

American Elm-bark is spongy, layered like that of a wafer, develops intersecting vertical strips that build in thickness  

Striped Maple-smooth bark, forming green/black/white vertical lines, with visible diamond-shaped lenticels

American Hornbeam-smooth/unbroken bark that is muscular-looking 

Black Cherry-bark that breaks into scales that curl away around the edges

Black Birch-smooth bark-break off into thick sections, with clearly visible horizontal lenticels

American Beech-smooth bark often with algae eating slug tracks

Yellow Birch-bark peels horizontally into thin fringe

White Oak- forms vertical cracks that build in thickness and break horizontally into blocks with maturity

White Pine- forms scaly ridges with horizontal hairline cracks

Chestnut Oak- forms smooth/ dense ridges with characteristic rust pigment lining the furrows

Northern Red Oak- smooth surface that cracks into intersecting ridges with rust colored fissures

Shagbark Hickory-bark forms sheets of bark that peels away from the trunk at both ends

Hophornbeam - vertical strips with square edges that can detach at both ends

Pignut Hickory-woven appearance with horizontal hairline cracks

Red Pine-large scaly plates forming ridges

Red Maple-bark forms long cracks which build in thickness and wing away from the trunk-this one with characteristic target canker

Winter Trail Nibble: Rose Hips

Rose Hips in January

You have been snowshoeing for the past 2 1/2 hours, trudging through the deep fluff and the whipping wind, armored with wool and fleece. Your muscles burn and sweat accumulates but you are fueled by Mother Nature's extreme conditions. Through your ski goggles you catch a glimpse of something red against the stark white background. You stand there with your multiple layers of synthetic insulation enamored by this tiny sphere with its shiny red skin exposed and clinging to its woody anchor in the middle of January. You notice the thorns and the fine dark hairs atop the crimson ball resembling that of a toupee. You reach down, pluck the little fruit from its stem and taste its pulpy flesh for the first time. You savor its mildly sweet and tart flavor. A surge of excitement runs through your body as you realize you have discovered the rose hip.

Rose Hip Cross Section

A rose hip is packed with vitamin C so it makes for a nutritious trail nibble in the dead of winter if you are lucky enough to come across one. The cross section above shows the seeds and the fine fibers that are encapsulated by the pulpy flesh.