Ten easy-to-identify trees of Kentucky

Trees every Kentuckian should know

In response to Rick Marsi's list of the "Top 10 Southern Tier Trees You Should Know", here's my list of ten trees that I think every Kentuckian should be able to recognize. Why? Because as well-rounded citizens of the Commonwealth, everyone should know by sight a few of their state's native trees.

The trees in my list are fairly unmistakable, with a little study. Start with these ten, learn a few more, and soon your friends will think you're a tree expert.

1. Baldcypress  

(Taxodium distichum)-- Easily identified by a strong, mostly-straight trunk, fine feathery foliage that is shed in autumn, and the knees and buttresses they develop when grown by or in water. This icon of the South is one of North America's longest-lived trees, commonly living 400 to 600 years old and sometimes twice that. 

2. Beech  

(Fagus grandifolia)-- Smooth, silvery-gray bark and (in winter) dead leaves that persist on the tree into mid-winter make the beech easy to recognize. If in doubt, look for other beech trees nearby; it is rare to see a single beech tree because beech trees send up suckers.  Beechnuts are a highly valuable wildlife food. The museum of the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, KY,  has a section of a beech tree trunk on which is carved, "D. Boon Kilt a Bar, 1803."  It was probably carved by someone else as Boone was living in Missouri by then.  .

3. Shagbark hickory  

(Carya ovata)--Easily identified by its unique, peeling bark. If in doubt, check for a large compound leaf with 5 leaflets. Hickory nuts are also a highly valuable wildlife food. Hickory lumber played an important part in American history -- it was the preferred wood for wagon and buggy axles and wheels. It is one of the best firewoods, producing long-lasting coals, few sparks, and a lot of heat.

4. Virginia pine  

(Pinus virginiana) -- Easily identifiable by the many small cones which the tree never seems to completely shed, the short, two-per-bundle needles, and often, an overall "scraggly" appearance. In my part of Kentucky, Virginia pine is found on dry, rocky ridges where it doesn't have much competition for sunlight. It is valuable as a pioneer species in areas that have been eroded or burned. It is also grown and marketed as a Christmas tree. The pine seeds are an important food for small mammals and birds; larger mammals graze the branches, especially in winter.

5. Sycamore  

(Platanus occidentalis)-- These giants of the lowlands are easily identified by their very large leaves and the white bark of their upper branches. Young sycamores often have mottled, peeling patches of bark on their lower trunks with the bark becoming white at the top of the tree.  In late summer through mid-winter, look for dangling seedballs, which give the tree its nickname, "button-ball tree".

6. Persimmon  

-- (Diospyros virginiana)  Easily identified by its unique, dark-colored bark which is broken up into small rectangular blocks so the trunk of the tree appears to be covered with wooden alligator skin. In autumn, look for orange fruit about the size of a ping-pong ball. Persimmons are greatly enjoyed by most wild animals and birds.  The seeds in the persimmons can be cut open and "read" to predict the severity of the next winter, according to folklore. Early settlers developed many recipes for persimmons and also used persimmon juice, bark, and twigs in various medicinal brews.

7. Eastern redbud  

(Cercis canadensis) -- A small tree of the forest understory, easily identified by pink-to-lavender blooms that burst out from the branches and trunk before the leaves appear in spring. Toothless leaves are dark green and more or less heart-shaped.  and older trees often have several trunks. Pea-like pods form on the branches and trunk in mid-summer and persist on the tree through mid-winter. Notable for its beauty, not for its wildlife value.

8. Eastern cottonwood  

(Populus deltoides)-- Easily identified by its leaves, fruit, bark, and form. Cottonwood leaves are shiny, toothed, and triangular ("deltoides").  The fruit, a dangling string of miniature pods, is the source of the name "cottonwood".  When ripe, the pods burst open,  releasing cottony seeds into the wind. The bark is deeply-furrowed, coarse looking and gray-brown in color. A mature cottonwood has massive branches and trunk, and may reach 100 feet in both height and spread. Loves moist areas. Do children still blow through a folded cottonwood leaf to make it whistle, or is that a forgotten art? I taught my children, and I certainly intend to teach my grandchildren, should I be so blessed.

9. Sassafras  

(Sassafras albidum)-- An understory tree that is easily recognizable by its oddly-shaped toothless leaves. On a single tree, some leaves will be mitten-shaped, some will have three "fingers" and some will be oval. The sassafras is one of the first trees to show autumn colors.  Sassafras tea was once considered a good remedy for many ailments, and root beer was made by fermenting sassafras root with molasses.  (See "Sassafras, the root beer tree".)

10. Southern magnolia  

(Magnolia grandiflora) -- Easily identified by its large, dark-green leaves which are  leathery, oval-shaped, toothless, and simple. Noted for its large, fragrant, white blossoms, this big tree is  another icon of the South. In Kentucky, we're at the northern edge of its range.

11. White Oak  

(Quercus alba) -- Even in winter the white oak is easy to recognize by its rugged, strong appearance and its light-gray ("white"), finely furrowed bark. In maturity, it is a large tree as wide or wider than it is tall. It has large branches (often, nearly horizontal), and a stout trunk. The white oak can live 300-500 years or more, and it deserves recognition for that fact alone. It's also a highly valuable wildlife tree. In Kentucky, it's impossible to estimate how many gallons of whiskey have been stored in white-oak barrels, how many cabins had white-oak planks on the roof, and how many hand-dug wells were lined with white oak.

Oops, looks like I have eleven instead of ten. I miscounted and now I can't make up my mind which one to leave out!

Twelve native trees with large surface roots

Bad choices for areas near paving or sidewalks

Due to their large roots at the surface of the soil, these trees are not suitable for planting near sidewalks or  driveways. They will cause problems if planted within "wells" in paved areas, parking lots, etc., and they will be increasingly difficult to mow around, wherever they are planted.  Be careful that you don't plant them where their roots will be a trial and tribulation in your life.

Red maple (Acer rubrum)
Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)
River birch (Betula nigra)
Hackberries (Celtis spp.)
Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)*
American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Pin oak (Quercus palustris)
Willow oak (Quercus phellos)
Live oak (Quercus virginiana)
American elm (Ulmus americana)

From a list in Trees for Paved Areas, a 2002 publication of the Virginia Cooperative Extension.  Non-native trees in the list include weeping willow, London planetree, and Norway maple.

*Your nursery may recommend cultivars of the southern magnolia that are supposed to have fewer surface roots. It would be a good idea to do some thorough research of the cultivar on your own, before planting .

Bur Oak Canyon of Hitchcock County, Nebraska

Remnant population of bur oaks in southwestern Nebraska

A deep, rugged canyon just 2 miles long, surrounded by vast expanses of prairie, is an unlikely outpost for the bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa). Nevertheless, the Bur Oak Canyon in southern Hitchcock County, Nebraska, has sheltered a remnant bur oak population for thousands of years.

The stand of oaks in Bur Oak Canyon is believed to date back 5,000 to 10,000 years. Of the 300 to 400 bur oaks in the canyon today, some individuals may be 200 years old. They are the only known native bur oaks within 200 miles.

Forester Tim Buchanan of Fort Collins, Colorado, explains that after the last ice age ended about10,000 years ago, the climate became favorable for oaks to spread across the prairies. Oaks advanced even into some parts of Canada. Then about 5000 years ago, the climate became hot and dry on the Great Plains -- and in the area of the Bur Oak Canyon. Oak trees on the surrounding prairies died from the stress of prolonged drought.

The microclimate and geology of the deep canyon helped the bur oaks survive. The bur oak's long taproot also gave the tree a survival advantage. A bur oak seedling sends its taproot deep into the ground before it begins to add height above ground. In the first growing season, it may develop a taproot over a yard in length. It also develops an extensive system of lateral and feeder roots. 

It is suspected that the bur oaks in the canyon carry some genes from hybridizing long ago with other oaks, probably with gambel oaks (Quercus gambelii) and post oaks (Quercus stellata). Gambel oaks are native to South Dakota, Colorado, and the American Southwest. Post oaks are native to most of the Eastern United States. Neither post oaks nor gambel oaks are native to Nebraska today -- presumably they died out in the great drought 5000 years ago, if they ever grew in the area.

Due to cattle grazing in the canyon (which is privately owned and part of a ranch) and a lack of squirrels to disperse the seed, seedlings have a hard time getting started.

The activities of the 2009 Bur Oak Symposium include planting seedlings and acorns, and protecting new and established seedlings. The goal is to reestablish and preserve the stand of oaks in Bur Oak Canyon for the future.

More about Bur Oak Canyon:
Bur Oak Symposium 2008
Bur Oak Symposium 2009
Bur Oak Canyon -- Flickr photoset
Bur Oak Canyon -- Flickriver photoset

Related
Bur Oaks Grown from Seed -- Flickriver photoset

Images in this post are from Wikipedia.

Timber rattler threatened in Tennessee

Timber rattler habitat decreasing

I read an article about a timber rattler found on a Murfreesboro, TN, elementary school campus. Unfortunately, the school superintendent killed it, rather than calling an animal control service that might have been able to remove and relocate it without injury.

Timber rattlesnakes are considered threatened in Tennessee. In fact, it is illegal in Tennessee to kill, harm, or possess any native wild snake without a permit. The school superintendent was out of line, despite the circumstances.

Murfreesboro, TN, is a city of about 100,000 people that is located 35 miles southeast of Nashille. It is right in the middle of timber rattler country. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation describes the areas of the U.S. where timber rattlers have historically been found:

The range of the timber rattler extends from southern New Hampshire south through the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia and west to southwestern Wisconsin and northeastern Texas. Populations were once found on Long Island and in most mountainous and hilly areas of New York State, except in the higher elevations of the Adirondacks, Catskills and Tug Hill region. They are now found in isolated populations in southeastern New York, the Southern Tier and in the peripheral eastern Adirondacks. (Source)

The rattler in Murfreesboro was probably hunting. It was spotted late in the evening by walkers. A place with bits of food litter on the ground is a good place to hunt for rodents. During the warmer months of the year, timber rattlesnakes return regularly to favorite hunting spots within a 2 to 3 mile area of their winter den. The snake may have hunted on the school property many times.

The common name of the timber rattler derives from their attraction to rugged, timbered areas. Their winter dens are usually in an area where rock outcroppings, rock ledges, or loose rocks create sheltered nooks below the frost line.

Timber rattlers like a sunny, rocky knob near their den, where they can lie in the sun and warm up in the early spring. The rocks provide emergency shelter in case of a change in the weather or a predator, while the snakes are still not moving at full speed. Pregnant females bask on warm sunny rocks for much of the summer as their babies develop.

Despite their common name, timber rattlesnakes are not particularly good at climbing trees; their heavy bodies don't lend themselves to shinnying up tree trunks. It's rare to see one high in a tree. However, they are considered one of the better climbers of the rattlesnake family.

In the woods, timber rattlers often hunt around fruit trees or mast trees (oaks, hickories, beech) because the fruit and nuts attract rodents. Squirrels are said to be an important part of their diet. They also hunt in newly-mowed meadows or recently-harvested fields, when such areas are within their range. There, they feast on voles, moles, gophers, mice, and rats.

Timber rattlers are usually not aggressive. They prefer to rattle rather than fight.The vast majority of bites from timber rattlers occur when people attempt to handle them. The bites are rarely fatal, though they are very painful. Some members of the Appalachian snake handling churches have reportedly been bitten dozens of times by timber rattlers. Deaths are typically because victims do not seek medical attention promptly.

Murfreesboro is currently the fastest growing city in Tennessee and one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. It added about 20,000 residents in a recent five-year period, according to statistics in Wikipedia.

As Murfreesboro and Nashville sprawl toward each other, development is taking up more and more timber rattler habitat. A Murfreesboro realtor writes, "But even with the growing demand, the Nashville area is still a reasonable market. Rolling hills covered with bright, green foliage makes the Middle Tennessee area a perfect place for families and business." That's bad news for timber rattlers.

On the web:
Timber rattlesnake conservation study at Cumberland University -- You-Tube video -- Professor Danny Bryan implants a radio device to track movement of a medium-size, male timber rattler for up to two years.

The Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus): How to tell if you actually saw one!

Public domain timber rattler photo from Wikipedia by TimVickers. Note the large scales on the body, small scales on the head above the eyes, elliptical (oval) pupils of the eye, triangular shape of the head, and comparatively small neck.

The tree-hugger goes to the zoo

Native trees observed at the Nashville Zoo

When I was at the Nashville (TN) zoo last weekend, I enjoyed seeing the trees almost as much as I enjoyed the animals. The zoo is being developed on Grassmere, a historic 200-acre farm that was south of Nashville until the city grew around it. We visit every two or three years, and every time we go, new exhibits have been opened and more animals added.

How the zoo came to Grassmere

Elise and Margaret Croft were the last private owners of Grassmere. The two elderly sisters lost their main income when their family's sugar plantations in Cuba were nationalized by Castro in 1960. The city of Nashville had surrounded their farm by that time, and the property taxes were too expensive for them to pay. They could have sold the farm to developers, but they felt it would be a desecration of the land and a betrayal of the wild animals who lived there.

In 1964, the Croft sisters reached an agreement with the Children's Museum of Nashville that the Children's Museum would pay the taxes and help with the maintenance of the large old house. The Croft sisters would be able to live on the farm for the rest of their lives, and the museum would inherit the property when they died. They were lovers of nature, so they stipulated that the land could be used only as a nature study center.

Margaret Croft passed away in 1974. Custody of the land was assumed by the Children's Museum of Nashville in 1985, following the death of Elise, and in 1997, the Nashville Zoo took over the property.

Bamboo forest in the native woods

A visit to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere has always been like a walk in the woods. I don't know when the property was last farmed seriously, but it was a long time ago -- decades, maybe even most of a century. Wherever I look around the zoo, I see woods. Some of the property has been cleared for animal enclosures, facilities for people, etc., but otherwise, it appears that the trees have taken over. Many of the trees are tall, mature specimens, suggesting that they've been growing for quite a while.

There's a new part of the zoo called the "Bamboo Trail", and the name is appropriate. Tall stands of bamboo grow thickly along the paths and the animals who are kept in that area are natives of bamboo forests. It's interesting to experience bamboo as a forest. (Photo at right: looking straight up from a park bench along the Bamboo Trail.)

Still, as a native tree enthusiast, I'm concerned about this "bamboo garden displaying a wide variety of bamboo found around the world," as the Nashville Zoo website describes it.

Bamboo is renown for being invasive; some species are more invasive than others. I hope the landscapers have some foolproof system of barriers to keep it all contained. If not, mature trees in adjoining areas are going to have fierce competition for resources, and the understory won't stand a chance.

My concerns are not unfounded. Look closely at the photo of the Alligator Cove sign and you will see many young bamboo shoots. This sign is in a wooded area that adjoins the Bamboo Trail. I hope they are clipping the invasive shoots like these to give to the animals!

Native trees at Grassmere

Around the main visitor's center, a dozen or more Magnolia grandifolia have been planted. They are young trees, but they're growing nicely. They are 30 to 40 feet tall now. It's late summer, so their fruit is beginning to form. I think Nashville is a little north of the true native range of Southern magnolia, but they can be grown there (and even farther north) successfully.

Elsewhere in the zoo, there are big beautiful hackberries (lots and lots of hackberries), beeches, hickories, cottonwoods, tulip poplars, maples, black walnuts (photo at left), oaks and redcedars. (I am just mentioning some of the most common tall trees I saw.)

I realize that the zoo is going to clear some wooded areas as exhibits are developed. I understand that the animals need winter quarters and roads to bring in food for them. I know that the visitors must have parking lots for their cars.  I even realize that some visitors are going to consider the native trees "run-of-the-mill" compared with the bamboo forest.

However, I hope the zoo developers will conserve, protect, and propagate the beautiful native trees of Grassmere wherever they can. I am positive that the trees were part of what Elise and Margaret Croft hoped to permanently protect on their farm. It would be impossible to live there and not love the trees.

- - - - - - - - - -

One last thing that I want to mention -- and this is probably true of all zoos -- I read in a Nashville Zoo press release that the zoo needs unwanted vegetation such as tree trimmings, especially in the winter.

Species particularly mentioned as desirable are hackberry, elm, redbud, sweetgum, hickory, willow and -- bamboo. The vegetation is given to the animals for "physical and mental stimulation". The zoo calls it "browse."

Because of what the animals can eat and what they like, some tree clippings are are not suitable. The zoo will NOT accept oak, sycamore, tulip poplar, cherry, maple, walnut, locust, or any evergreen tree.

Front lawn of the Grassmere home