What Tree Did I Identify?
I knew that there were going to be plenty of the listed tree species on the route to my phenology spot, but I decided to stop to look at the Paper Birch pictured below.
Unlike its common winter lookalikes, I was able to identify this tree as a Paper Birch for the following reasons:
- The bark was scaley and came off in paper-like strips
- The bark did not have a dark brown or yellow undertone like a Yellow Birch.
- It does not have large potato chip flakes like a River Birch.
- The Gray Birch, which I struggled with the most, I was able to rule out by examining the twig and bud:
My twig photo was atrociously blurry, although I did include it below, so I resorted to google to find a better comparison photo of Gray vs. Paper Birch!
I used this photo (which was the least blurry) to compare to the Gray vs. Paper Birch to confirm my suspicion that the tree was in fact, a Paper Birch!
A few other angles!
My iNaturalist Post and Location!
Although it was a cold and dreary day, I enjoyed getting to visit Lone Rock Point, and I am excited to see the change in the Paper Birch tree as I go back throughout the rest of the seasons!
“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.”
John Boswell