My professor taught me that when you are stumped by tree identification look for surrounding clues. Sometimes he meant stand back and take a good look at the form of the tree, sometimes a bigger look at where the tree is and who it's neighbors are; but sometimes he meant look at the ground and see what has been shed by the tree or what soils the tree's feet are in.
That life lesson as it turns out was much broader than my what youthful inexperience was prepared to take root in. Good soil, good location, good fortune meant a textbook tree easily identified by a student in search of four credits. But seemingly perfect specimens are rare, sometimes cut down for Christmas trees and not a complete picture of the forest. What becomes of the trees that must grow and survive in adverse conditions? What shape will it take on as it grows? These are the trees that aren't as easily identified by casual observation, those are the ones where we must either step back from or move in closer to find their clues.
It's the hints of a story, the signs of the struggle, the triumph of resilience that inspire me in the woods; and yes sometimes it is the slumber of old giants tucked in by green moss, leaf litter and stepped on by small children's feet that reminds me to search for a life well lived and not a textbook perfect life. - Norma Manning
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| Whatever this birch was growing in or around has since been washed away. |
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| Eastern Hemlock growing on a rock |
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| Take a closer look |
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