February EcoQuest

Behold Bark, Buds, and Berries

Clockwise from top left: American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) bark; Japanese Angelica Tree (Aralia elata) stem; Boxelder (Acer negundo) bud; Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) fruits; Striped Wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) leaves.

February is a great month to refine your winter botany skills by learning to recognize important dormant-season plant characteristics such as bark, buds, and persistent flower and fruit structures.
Previous winter-month EcoQuest Challenges provide many examples of common plants that can be identified in winter, representing diverse groups of native and invasive species, including cryptogams and gymnosperms as well as flowering plants (grasses, vines, shrubs, and trees).

How many species can you find this February?

Here are some resources to help get started:

Pictoral Guide for Tree Bud Identification
What are Lichens?
NYC Bryophyte Guide
Guide to Pines of NYC
Guide to Birches of NYC in Winter
Guide to Common Reed (Phragmites)
Guide to Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orientalis)
Guide to Porcelainberry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata)
Guide to Euonymus
Guide to English Ivy (Hedera helix)
Guide to Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)