Hop hornbeam

A hop-hornbeam tree (Ostrya virginiana), one of the labeled trees at Clegg Garden.  Hop-hornbeam trees have a characteristic shreddy bark.  This species of tree is typically a part of the forest understory. 

In the background is the Eisenhower Road bridge over Wildcat Creek.  Photo taken Feb. 13, 2015.

Link to Ostrya virginiana:

Link to forest understory:

Antennaria in winter

Antennaria along a trail in Clegg Garden shows fairly evergreen character in the winter.  I'm not sure what species of Antennaria this is.  The multiple veins on the basal leaves could be a clue to the species.  On a slope, woodland habitat.   Photo taken Feb. 13, 2015.

Link to Antennaria:

Link to Antennaria:

Link to Antennaria:

Link to Antennaria plantaginifolia:

Sugar maple

This sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum) is along the trail leading to Wildcat Creek.  Photo taken Feb. 13, 2015.

Link to Acer saccharum:

Hepatica is visible but not yet flowering

Here on a hillside next to a trail there are several Hepatica plants that show the leaves but are not yet flowering. I still call this plant a Hepatica although now most botanists consider that an obsolete name as now it has been grouped in the Anemone genus and the current name is Anemone acutiloba.

Link to Anemone acutiloba:

Here is a closer view of the Hepatica plant showing the flowering bud waiting for the right time to flower.

Photos taken February 13, 2015.

Link to Hepatica in another location:

Link to Hepatica in another location:

Kentucky coffee-tree

Kentucky coffee-tree (Gymnocladus dioicus), along a trail in Clegg Garden.  The bark of Kentucky coffee-tree has bark that curls outward with a sharp edge.  Touch the bark to learn how it feels.  The vines climbing up the side of this tree are old dead poison-ivy vines that have rotted away on the inside.  They are recognizable by the aerial rootlets (the fuzzy things attaching to the tree trunk) which is characteristic of poison-ivy.

Looking up at this Kentucky coffee-tree, a few of the characteristic seed-pods are visible. Also notice that the winter twigs are quite thick compared to other trees of the forest. This is due to the fact the leaves that fall off in autumn are very big as they are doubly-compound. As you drive around the countryside in the winter, you can spot from a great distance where the groves of Kentucky coffee-trees are from the look of the big seed pods high in the tops of the trees.

Photos taken Feb. 13, 2015.

Link to Gymnocladus dioicus:

Link to previous post on Gymnocladus dioicus in another location:

Link to previous post on Gymnocladus dioicus in another location:

Red oak bark

This mature red oak (Quercus rubra) shows a good example of the shiny vertical strips of bark that is typical of red oak.  Notice it's one of the trees at Clegg Garden with a label to identify it.  In the background to the west is the lookout point over Wildcat Creek.  Photo taken February 4, 2015.

Link to Quercus rubra:

Link to Quercus rubra:

Beech tree retains previous year's leaves

By mid-winter the leaves on many juvenile beech trees have still not fallen as the leaves of the other trees in the forest.  As winter lets us see a good distance across the forest land, we can spot where the young beech trees are from far away.  This beech tree (Fagus grandifolia) in the east end of Clegg Garden is getting rather mature but still shows the previous season's leaves.  This property is called marcescense.

Link to marcescence:

Link to discussion of marcescence in a beech forest:

The old house in the background is being remodeled to house the NICHES headquarters.  Notice the new wood deck and stairway to the front entrance.  It was getting built the day this photo was taken, February 4, 2015.

Link to Fagus grandifolia: