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“You don’t know a tree until you know it naked.” So says Sandy Mason, whose job title, “horticulture educator with U of I
Extension,” does scant justice to her wide knowledge of and appreciation for
the natural world—to say nothing of her sense of humor.
But how do you know one tree from another when
they’re naked, which is to say, without their leaves?
You could pick up a book or two for yourself and
learn some naked tree ID that way. Illinois Extension publishes one called Forest Trees of Illinois that can be quite useful for this purpose, and which
costs only ten dollars. And there are other resources you can pick up fairly
cheaply on the Web, including one from the Missouri Department of Conservation
called A Key to Missouri Trees in Winter, which is also applies widely here
in the Prairie State and costs only three dollars (plus shipping).
[The unmistakable seed pods of Kentucky coffeetrees hang on through the winter, making identification of females of this species easy, leaves or no leaves. Photo by author.]
But leaves or no leaves, if you’re new to tree identification
you’ll progress faster and enjoy it much more if you learn from experts in the
company of other people.
So make time tomorrow to attend the Naked Tree
Walk, which will be led by Sandy Mason, along with arborist and Master
Naturalist Jean Burridge and Craig Kempher of the Champaign Park District.
The walk, which is also free and open to the public,
will take place tomorrow afternoon, from 2 – 4:00PM at Hessel Park in
Champaign.
I spoke recently with Mason, who pointed out that the
amazing diversity of trees at Hessel Park makes it an ideal spot for such an
activity. There are no fewer than 28 different species represented there,
including seven species of oaks.
Among the highlights are trees that are native to
Illinois but fairly unusual in our part of the state, such as yellow buckeye
and black gum. In addition, truly magnificent examples of more common trees grow
there—big, beautiful specimens of Kentucky coffeetree, scarlet oak and red
maple.
The trees at Hessel Park are also quite
accessible, thanks to the wide concrete sidewalk there. Participants should, of
course, dress for the weather, since this is an entirely outdoor event. All who
attend will receive a copy of the “Hessel Park Tree Walk” put out by the
Champaign Park District, which features stunning hand drawings of tree features
by Jean Burridge.
While I’m on the subject of trees, I’d like to
return to a tree story I told on this program.
A forester’s stock answer to the question, “How
can I tell how old my tree is?” is “Cut it down and count the rings.” That’s
because dating trees any other way involves varying levels of uncertainty.
Back in November, I called attention to the large
bur oak in front of the Natural History Building on the UI campus. At that time,
I said it was 180-some years old, referring to calculations that were based on
borings done in summer 2011. More recently, a number of people have referred me
to photographs from the 1890s that show a much smaller tree where the bur oak
grows, a tree that looks recently planted. Based on this evidence, it seems
unlikely my tree is more than 120-some years old. It may still be the oldest
living thing on campus, but it’s not a relic of the pre-campus landscape.
