Native Trees of Connecticut: A Step-by-Step Illustrated Guide to Identifying the State's Species

by John Ehrenreich

Overview

There are 75 trees native to the Nutmeg State, all of which can be found in its forests and parks, and even your own backyard!

Native Trees of Connecticut is a step-by-step illustrated guide to identifying Connecticut’s trees. It provides easily observable characteristics that can help you recognize each species of tree.

This guide describes each tree’s overall shape and form when grown in an open area, provides a detailed description and photographs of leaves and bark, indicates the habitat in which the tree is typically found, and discusses the significance of the tree for wildlife. Flowers, buds, and fruits are also described and pictured when they are useful for identification. Additional sections focus on helping to distinguish among similar species of a single genus, such as the four species of hickory found in Connecticut, and on supplementary information about trees, including explanations of the functions of bark and leaves, tree habitats, and a guide to estimating age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493060207
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

John Ehrenreich has a PhD in biological sciences and is a volunteer at Connecticut Audubon’s Deer Pond Farm sanctuary, where he co-leads nature walks and prepares educational materials. In his professional life he is a psychologist and a former professor of psychology at SUNY–Old Westbury. He is the author or co-author of six other books, including The American Health Empire (Random House), The Altruistic Imagination (Cornell), and Third Wave Capitalism (ILR/Cornell). His articles have appeared in, among other places, The Nation, Slate, American Prospect, Salon, and Washington Monthly. He resides in Sherman, Connecticut.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Why Trees Matter 1

Why Another Tree Book? 3

How to Use This Guide 4

Part I How to Identify a Tree 7

What to Look For 7

The First Step: Is It a Conifer or a Broadleaf Tree? 8

If the Tree Is a Conifer: Using Needles as Field Marks 8

If It Is a Broadleaf Tree: Using Leaves as Field Marks 11

What to Look For 11

How Are the Twigs and Leaves Arranged? 11

Are the Leaves Simple or Compound? 15

Trees with Compound Leaves 16

Trees with Simple Leaves 22

Other Leaf Characteristics 25

If It Is a Broadleaf Tree: Using Bark as a Field Mark 30

Trees with Thin Bark 33

Trees with Very Rugged Bark 36

Other Trees with Distinctive Bark 39

If It Is a Broadleaf Tree: Other Field Marks 42

Flowers 43

Seeds and Fruits 49

Buds 55

Thorns 56

Tree Identification-Field Checklist 57

Part II The Native Trees of Connecticut 59

Conifers 59

Pines 60

Eastern White Pine 61

Pitch Pine 62

Red Pine (Norway Pine) 63

Firs and Spruces 64

Balsam Fir 64

Spruces 67

Black Spruce 68

Norway Spruce 69

Red Spruce 70

White Spruce 70

Other Conifers 73

Eastern Red Cedar 73

Northern White Cedar (Arborvitae) 74

Atlantic White Cedar 75

Eastern Hemlock (Canadian Hemlock) 76

American Larch (Tamarack) 77

Broadleaf Trees 80

Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven) 80

Domestic Apple 81

Ashes 81

Black Ash 82

Green Ash 83

White Ash 84

Aspens 86

Bigtooth Aspen 86

Quaking Aspen (White Poplar) 87

Basswood (American Linden) 88

American Beech 89

Birches 90

Black Birch (Sweet Birch) 91

Gray Birch 91

Paper Birch (White Birch) 92

River Birch (Red Birch) 93

Yellow Birch 93

Butternut (White Walnut) 95

Northern Catalpa 96

Black Cherry 97

Pin Cherry 97

American Chestnut 98

Cottonwood 99

Dogwood 100

American Elm 101

Slippery Elm 102

Wych Elm 102

Common Hackberry 103

Hawthorns 104

Hickories 105

Bitternut Hickory 105

Shagbark Hickory 106

Mockernut Hickory 107

Pignut Hickory 108

American Holly 110

Eastern Hophornbeam 110

American Hornbeam (Blue Beech, Musclewood, Ironwood) 111

Horse Chestnut 112

Black Locust 112

Maples 114

Black Maple 114

Boxelder 115

Mountain Maple 116

Norway Maple 116

Red Maple 117

Silver Maple 118

Striped Maple 119

Sugar Maple 120

American Mountain Ash 123

Northern Mountain Ash (Showy Mountain Ash) 123

Red Mulberry 124

White Mulberry 124

Black Mulberry 124

Nannyberry 125

Oaks 126

Bear Oak 127

Eastern Black Oak 129

Pin Oak 130

Northern Red Oak 131

Scarlet Oak 132

Bur Oak (Burr Oak, Mossy Cup Oak) 136

Chestnut Oak 137

Chinquapin (Chinkapin) Oak 138

Post Oak 139

Swamp White Oak 140

Eastern White Oak 141

Common Persimmon 144

American Plum 144

Eastern Redbud (Judas Tree) 145

Sassafras 146

Downy Serviceberry (Shad Bush, Shad Blow, Juneberry) 147

Allegheny Serviceberry (Smooth) 147

Sumacs 148

American Sycamore (Buttonwood Tree, Buttonball Tree) 149

Tuliptree (Yellow Poplar, Tulip Poplar) 150

Black Tupelo (Sour Gum, Black Gum) 151

Eastern Wahoo 152

Black Walnut 152

Black Willow 153

White Willow 154

Winterberry 155

Witch Hazel 156

Part III Frequently Asked Questions 159

What Are the Most Common Trees in Connecticut? 159

Why Do Trees Have Bark? 159

Why Do Trees Have Leaves? 159

Why Do Broadleaf Trees Lose Their Leaves in Winter? 160

Why Don't Conifers Lose Their Leaves in Winter? 161

Why Do Some Broadleaf Trees Hold on to Their Dead Leaves in Winter? 161

Why Do Leaves Come in Different Sizes and Shapes? 161

Why Are Some Trees Found Only in Certain Areas? 163

Can You Tell How Old a Tree Is Without Cutting It Down? 165

Do Trees Interact With One Another? 167

What Are the Things I See on the Outside of Trees That Are Not Bark? 169

Is There Such a Thing As a "Wolf Tree"? 170

Sources and Resources 171

Photo Credits 173

Index 177

About the Author 181