If asked to describe what tree bark looks like, most people probably would say something like: “It’s rough and brown and covers the trunk of a tree.” That is a good description of many trees, but not ...

Training one’s eye to identify trees is a fun way to connect with the world around us and can be useful for making home landscape selections. Trees are often identified using leaf shape and color, ...

Every species of tree has unique characteristics, from its bark to its leaves, that you can use as clues to identify it—without using the internet. Beyond using this knowledge as a party trick to ...

Most of the time the easiest way to identify a plant is to examine closely the leaf of that plant. Like fingerprints, leaves exhibit distinguishing characteristics. Once familiar with those ...

A walk in the woods this time of year is different. It’s quiet and monochromatic. Other than the crunch of your shoes on frozen ground, there isn’t as much to see or hear as a forest in spring or ...

In my last column I asked if you have ever been walking around your yard, your street or your local park, and wondered what trees you were looking at? I gave you tips on distinguishing evergreen from ...

Trees add value and beauty to the landscape, and can provide shade, protection and much more. When they’re afflicted with unknown ailments, there’s natural reason for concern. Here are some questions ...

In this edition of ID That Tree, meet River Birch. As its name implies, it is often found near waterways and in moist soil areas across the state of Indiana. It can be multi-stemmed, often in ...

How do I know if I have an ash tree? All true ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) have the following characteristics: • Leaves are compound, which means multiple leaflets occur on a common stalk, and typically ...

In this edition of ID That Tree, we’re going to introduce you to a southern oak found in Indiana, cherrybark oak. This species can typically be found in bottomland areas in extreme southern Indiana.