In The Woodlands, Texas, on the southern flank of the great East Texas forest, it is time to plant trees again. Arbor Day for 2012 will once again be celebrated in Rob Fleming Park in the Village of Creekside Park on Saturday, January 21 from 10 AM to 2 PM. There will be festivities with special events for children, as always.
In the spotlight will be free tree seedlings. I usually get about 12 seedlings each year and make an attempt to grow them. What I have discovered is that they are very susceptible to the summer heat. This past summer was the worse ever and my survival rate was only about 10%. That required a lot of frequent watering!
This year, one of my favorite trees is being offered - the River Birch. The bark of this tree gives it a rustic look in the yard, a signature no other local tree can boast about. This medium sized tree is ornamental and drought tolerant. If I plant nothing else, I would plant one of these. Another favorite of mine is also in the spotlight of seedlings this year - the White Oak. This tree grows fast and huge, and produces an abundance of acorns to attract wildlife. A great shade tree! My squirrels love it.
Don't forget to plant pines also. Loblolly seedlings will also be distributed. Plant several together in the areas you really want them to be, because over the years, some will die off. If four are planted one foot apart, one is likely to make it to maturity if you keep them all watered. Sun shading by nearby plants also helps in the summer sun. This pine will grow two feet per year, so in ten years you will have a substantial tree to enjoy.
One word of advice - always seek native drought resistant trees. If they grow here normally, many have likely survived significant droughts. This that grow in the East Texas forests naturally protect one another by utilizing the canopy to their advantage and do not normally require much water. But when placed next to concrete or into non-native soil, a tree requires extraordinary care. Often the soil we plant them in is not very nutritionally rich enough to encourage aggressive growth, so we add nutrients. If the resultant soil is chemically altered, we face issues with survival, especially if those nutrients are heat generators. Decomposing materials are heat generators. Utilize the natural soil of the forest floor to the best of your ability. A pine will grow in about all the soils here while not all these trees will prosper in all soils. I wold provide sufficient sand to the River Birch because you will find it flourishing near the creek naturally. Low areas with plenty of sand, like on Spring Creek provide an abundance of prospering trees, even in a drought such as we experienced this past summer. All of these trees love sandy loam soils.
Another word of advice - destroy any invasive trees, especially the Chinese Tallow. As the name implies, the tree comes from China, does not belong here and even kills trees around it by using its root system to deprive water from neighboring trees. It is against the law for a nursery to sell this tree. If you see it in a nursery, please report it. Please do not nurture these trees.
Other seedlings on this year's list are: (1) Two small early spring flowering trees - Dogwood and Redbud. My Redbud has grown so so slow, but remains alive and well after five years; maybe it will bloom for the first time this year! Two experimental Dogwoods did not survive that I planted last year. They were part of a nationwide study program. (2) Red Maple, Wax Myrtle.
Trees are fun and add diversity to our lives. In their adult lives, children can return to the place they planted trees when a child. We do the same as adults. I occasionally visit a home where I lived twenty-five years ago to see the Red Maples planted then in the front of each home. They make a beautiful canopy today on that street,which at the time was very bare. That was definitely a good idea to coordinate neighbors to line the street with a ten gallon tree. Though a tree may may take a long time to mature, it provides enjoyment for years afterwards, even to you returning to see the result of your work.
Hug a tree today and it will give you pleasure tomorrow.
Showing posts with label Woodlands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Woodlands. Show all posts
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Monday, March 1, 2010
Spring has sprung even before winter is over - seeds of the elm
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
One more summer gone, many tree years gone, Winter's Respite
There remain a number of trees to cut down after the terrible loss we had this past year with beetles in our pines. Based on what I saw, the 1000+ trees that had to be removed from public areas along roads, paths, parks and medians, most of the trees were older than 10 years. Many were 30+ years old. Let's just say conservatively, they were each ten years old on the average. That would present us with a 10000-year tree-year growth loss. I could not say what number of tree years we have in our forest, but it is a very very large number, so the percentage of loss remains fairly low. Yet intuitively, none of us can rest peacefully with the results. The primary reason we must not just write this off is the mere fact that there is a forecast for ensuing years of continuing and even worse drought. Then too, we lost a large number of trees in 2008 to the hurricane. The combined two events raise our alarm to a higher level than the norm.
How are we going to deal with rain shortages, water conservation and preserving our trees at the same time? We must put some financial resources into our future. If this year is only a taste of the future, we should be doing something about it and not just let nature take its own natural course. The one valued commodity that we have, unique from other communities, is our large trees. Without them, we are just another large subdivision on the outskirts of Houston - waterway or not, parks or not, nice homes or not. Nothing really matters except our trees.
How are we going to deal with rain shortages, water conservation and preserving our trees at the same time? We must put some financial resources into our future. If this year is only a taste of the future, we should be doing something about it and not just let nature take its own natural course. The one valued commodity that we have, unique from other communities, is our large trees. Without them, we are just another large subdivision on the outskirts of Houston - waterway or not, parks or not, nice homes or not. Nothing really matters except our trees.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Mirror mirror on the wall, which house is fairest of them all?
Have you ever strolled down the street and discovered something worthy of a special photograph? Every year, I pass by this place and see something different. This time I was enamored with this particular home on a cul-de-sac corner in Indian Springs. It would be just another well-kept house except for this natural photo frame produced by the early blooms and seeds of a native tree. A customized wooden structure is nice to see, but when it is placed in the beauty of The Woodlands, it can be spectacular! I hope you agree with me. I rarely find anything that greatly eclipses the beauty and peacefulness of this particularly exceptional Spring moment. This underscores the rationale of choosing native vegetation for home landscapes. Like normal, you might want to view this in more detail by clicking on the photo.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Sweetgum Tree
Isn't it strange how we love the unnatural and the things that make our lives more exotic? We love those things that are the prettiest as well those things that are the most comfortable to us. Now what has those statements got to do with the Sweetgum tree?I recall a related statement from a neighbor once when she cut down all the natural vegetation in her yard. Who needs Yaupon, pine trees, Sweetgums, and other native plants or trees? All of this is soooo blah, "I need a theme in my yard!" So she made it tropical! Banana trees and palms. Perfect for an east Texas forest? There was no food for the birds in her yard. Somehow, maybe she may have not even realized there were birds out there. It was as unnatural as she could possibly make it. The theme went with her swimming pool. Let's make this a paradise on the sea shore. We'll pretend. She moved away and now we live with her carnage.
Now you get my gist. I had someone recently say "I hate Sweetgum trees". This tree is very common here in our forests. Like other native species, there is a reason for it being here. I don't like walking barefooted and stepping on the Sweetgum pods any more than the "hater" of the tree. When green, the spiny pods are not so irritating but after drying, they fall to the ground for months afterward, and their spines are needle sharp and hard. This tree is considered to be ornamental. It grows well in marshes such as we have in abundance here in The Woodlands. A tree 100 feet tall is not rare. These trees will help form the highest canopy over the forest right with the Long Leaf pines, some 150 feet! Taken out of the forest canopy, their roots more exposed to the sun, they have a difficult time during drought periods. Myself? I encourage this tree to be cultivated and planted with the pines, especially in wet locations. I have several thriving in my yard, one from a seedling. I love diversity. This tree adds so much life to our forests! It is one of the reasons we are called "The Woodlands".
This tree is regarded as an ornamental for several reasons. In the fall, they are quite colorful. See my fall leaf display. In the early summer, the star shaped leaves are quite showy. Right now, in the early Spring? This is the reason I am publishing this article. This tree often gets overlooked. You will see little green "things" all over the ground near this tree right now. If you look closely, you will see what I saw through this photograph - an early blooming tree, showing how it creates its spiny pods. There are even colors in its unusual and ornate blooms on the ends of the tree branches.
As implied by the name, the tree bark has been used extensively for chewing gum by native Indians and settlers. The pods have been used for medicinal purposes and by the way, make a great Christmas tree ornament. Its wood is used for building structures. Let's tolerate that which we don't like and find reasons to live in harmony with nature. This tree demands and deserves our respect. Issues with the water table here in The Woodlands will eventually eliminate most of these trees in my opinion. Combined with drought, tree removal and the landscape engineering of the environment by man, our forest is bound to change to something much less interesting than what evolved or was created here over the ages.Texas Game and Wildlife article quoting IndianSpringsGuy (Randy Scott)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
What to do with all that Woodlands timber downed by Hurricane Ike
The supply of tree trunks and stumps left behind by Hurricane Ike has been steadily dwindling. Yet there is time to find some if you are handy at woodworking. One idea is to take some of the hardwood and put it to the side to dry. You can make some beautiful bowls with it if you have a turning lathe. I ran across the article below on how to make bowls out of the cut wood. Some of us may want to try this out. Oak trees provide some pretty wood. Pine trees provide a soft wood that is more difficult to dry out. There are variations in between. Of course we can keep warm by using the wood in our fireplaces. My grandmother utilized pine prolifically in her fireplace but of course a lot of creosote accumulated in the chimney, creating a fire hazard that called for a Chimney Sweep every few years. I am planning to make a chair out of one stump. It will require a little sanding and varnishing, but the end result will be a nice looking piece of lawn furniture to sit on. So here is the "how to" method for changing a block of tree trunk to a bowl.
Making a bowl out of a piece of tree trunk
Making a bowl out of a piece of tree trunk
Arbor Day 2009 in The Woodlands - time to plant some trees
Arbor day is right around the corner. Here in The Woodlands, we will have the opportunity to acquire free seedlings and add to our forest, whether it be in our yard or in a green area. Yes, some people and some groups will plant along the paths or in parks where the seedlings are not likely to be mowed down. If you do that, I advise to put a bright ribbon on the seedling to show it is not a weed. This year we lost many trees to Hurricane Ike. If we plant many trees on Arbor Day, we can at least do our part to compensate somewhat for that damage. Seedlings will be available at Rob Flemming Park in the Village of Creekside Park near the Gosling entrance to the village from 10AM to 2PM. There is always an excellent variety of trees offered. This there will be 35,000 seedlings issued in 12 varieties. The trees offered will include canopy as well as under story trees. Also enjoy inflatable rides, rock wall climb, free pony rides, hay rides, and a petting zoo.
Related Article - 2008 Arbor Day in The Woodlands
Related Article - 2008 Arbor Day in The Woodlands
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Composting in The Woodlands
I have meant to write about this for so long! I had the pleasure of discussing this with a resident who I casually met today and he took me over the edge to write this article. Remember that I give you larger pictures, and you can see any one in higher resolution by clicking on it. Definition: "Composting is the decomposition of plant remains and other once-living materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is excellent for adding to houseplants or enriching garden soil. It is the way to recycle your yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills for disposal."1 For a more technical presentation of this subject, you may want to refer to the website dedicated to his subject.1 Note that the process of decomposition includes bacteria, water, and organic material. Decomposition produces heat, as much as 130-140 degrees F. Mine generally runs about 110 or so.
An entire year has passed by since my first lesson in composting from the Woodlands Association. I knew zilch about it at the beginning and felt totally incapable of doing this. Little did I know then that one year later there would be a terrific pile of material to use for fertilizing my garden. Definitely quality material! In addition to the composting process, this method also produces plenty of earth worms without any attempt on your part to introduce them to the compost pile. I am now going to share with you how to make this. If you like to garden, you will not be disappointed. If you like to fish with night crawlers, you will like it also.
First I recommend you take the association class on the first Saturday of the month, typically offered in the fall and winter. The paid staff in the service company will sell you one of these green wire cages, if you wish, at any time - at a scheduled class or from your ad hoc request. I say do it! They are available from the association at a reasonable cost. Be prepared to pay $25 cash for one. As you can see in the photo below, the bins weather very well and hold the compost material neatly within a confined area, providing a means to aerate the content while releasing excess water.
Next, find a location where you can discretely put your bin without alarming your neighbors. The location could be in a shady or sunny spot. I chose a shady spot. For one single deployment, you will need enough space for two of them. By using these bins and following advice on household stuff to help decompose your leaves, you should have something that blends with the environment and not smell bad. Note that composting is regulated by deed restrictions in The Woodlands.
Place your wire cage at one end of the space that you have dedicated for this purpose. Fill it with your fall leaves. You can use deciduous tree leaves and pine needles. I used both quite successfully. Fill it to the top. You will need as much as you can get into the cage to produce a sufficient volume of material for your gardening needs. Crush the material as much as you can to produce space for more raw material. Water the leaves down well after each few inches you have crushed.
After packing and crushing the leaves to the top, you will be ready to start your process. Start collecting your egg shells, potato peels, unused raw vegetable materials, coffee and tea grounds (with paper filters), and anything green without seeds, into a container. Green works best because of the nitrogen content. I use a large plastic margarine container which seals in the odor, and I keep it under the sink, ready to access when we cook. Don't throw everything except the kitchen sink into this. Be specific - carrot peels, lettuce leaves, etc. I occasionally put some left-over cooked rice into it as well, but make sure the food is kept down so you do not have a smelly compost pile afterward. Tell your spouse or family cook(s) the plan and what should be put into the container. No meat, generally no cooked foods, nothing that will cause your neighbors to knock on your front door and read you the riot act!
This will not be your sole source of decomposition agents. You will also use grass cuttings and anything from the outside that is leafy and green without seeds.
Now you need to put this material into the compost pile. I do this every week or two weeks, whenever the indoor container fills or whenever I cut the grass. Dig a small hole in your pile and place some of the organic stuff from your can into it. Cover the hole with leaves. Place the organic stuff in as many places as practical a few inches deep into the compost pile. Water it down into the compost pile.
Once a month, pick up the green cage and place it on the other side of the space you have reserved for the cage. You are now turning your compost. The top of the pile will end up on the bottom of the new pile and the bottom on top. You can use a pitch fork or even your hands to do this. I use my hands but usually with a plastic glove. After all, you are picking up rotting material. Take a few inches off of the top of the pile and place it in the cage. Make sure the outside leaves are rotated inward into the pile, because the outside will be the first to dry out. After transferring a few inches, water down the transferred material. Saturate the material with water. Continue doing this until all the material has been transferred to the new location. Now you have turned your compost pile. If you have some organic stuff in the house to feed your pile, this is a good time to empty it into the new pile.
Well how about the worms? After you have turned the material, check to see if you have any worms on the ground surface where the pile was located. If so, transfer as many worms as you can find into the new pile. This is accomplished by simply using your hand as a blade to pull the worms out of the ground. They have been in a whole in the ground under your pile. You will scrape some dirt out in the process. The first couple of months you will not likely have any worms, but in a few months you will see them when you are picking up the last part of the material with your hands, transferring the last of the pile to the new location. As the pile matures, you will see worms in the pile itself.
At the end, when harvesting your compost pile, you will want to screen filter the material with a compost filter. I am not doing this part of the process this year, so the quality of my harvest will not be optimum. One filters the material to take out the twigs and all the matter that has not sufficiently decomposed, it can be used for potted plants or sensitive plant situations. I will use it for a vegetable garden this Spring, so I am willing to put all the material into the garden whether fully decomposed or not. Insufficient decomposition will result in extra heat in your garden and may impact the production of the garden.
So now you have it. It is never too late to start a pile. You obtain information from the association for your cage(bin) at this website:
Woodlands Association
Click here for a schedule of classes.
1quoted from How to Compost.org.
Monday, November 24, 2008
So you want tree color in The Woodlands Texas - Fall Color Ratings
Color generally means hardwood and decorative species, but let's make it deciduous native trees as our focus. Color is not only possible here, it is very achievable with the right mixture of trees. We have many natives and should use them wherever possible to maintain the ecological relationships about us. Let's view some of the trees in our neighborhoods and parks as examples to plant for color. These are but a sampling. I hope to add more as I have time. Note that photographs are captioned beneath the photo. Click on the photo to see a larger view.
A sampling from leaves picked up off the ground underneath those trees having color.
Yaupon provides the red berries for a festive season. This year, the squirrels are more into berries. This may be a fallout from the loss of so many acorns and pine cones. Bit for sure, this small tree add much color to our neighborhoods in the fall and winter. A 10 on my fall color scale.
The Sycamore provides varying color depending on the location in the sun. This one is surrounded by trees and gets less sun and less exposure to frost than some of the trees out in the open. A 6 on my Fall color scale color scale.
Sycamore
Redbud. This magnificent tree shows off its color each Spring and Fall. A 8 on my Fall color scale.
Bald Cypress. Although the color is not bright, it is uniform and showy. A 9 on my Fall color scale.
River Birch. With it ornate bark and lively yellow colors, this tree is one of my own favorites. A 9 on my Fall color scale.
Shumard Oak. A 10 on my fall color scale.
Pecan. Spectacular yellows are found in the forest with this tree. It's dramatic yellow leaves contrast to the deep green of the forest. A 10 on my fall color scale.
A sampling from leaves picked up off the ground underneath those trees having color.
Yaupon provides the red berries for a festive season. This year, the squirrels are more into berries. This may be a fallout from the loss of so many acorns and pine cones. Bit for sure, this small tree add much color to our neighborhoods in the fall and winter. A 10 on my fall color scale.
The Sycamore provides varying color depending on the location in the sun. This one is surrounded by trees and gets less sun and less exposure to frost than some of the trees out in the open. A 6 on my Fall color scale color scale.
Sycamore
Redbud. This magnificent tree shows off its color each Spring and Fall. A 8 on my Fall color scale.
Bald Cypress. Although the color is not bright, it is uniform and showy. A 9 on my Fall color scale.
River Birch. With it ornate bark and lively yellow colors, this tree is one of my own favorites. A 9 on my Fall color scale.
Shumard Oak. A 10 on my fall color scale.
Pecan. Spectacular yellows are found in the forest with this tree. It's dramatic yellow leaves contrast to the deep green of the forest. A 10 on my fall color scale.
One of the most beautiful missing here.
The problem we face these days is the public admiration of our beautiful outlawed tree, public enemy number one, the Chinese Tallow. This invasive tree, we often love, is not presented as an alternative for planting. See the related article in this blog.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
How did our trees fare from the fury of Hurricane IKE?
Here in The Woodlands, there was really a big mess after the storm. Right afterward, one could hardly go from one place to another. Day by day, more trees were cleared from the road and put to the side so that traffic could pass. Residents helped some where they could to make the roads passable.
Mobility was the primary issue of course, but our interest here is mostly on what could have been done to prevent the loss of trees or damage to the houses. All in all, I believe nothing could have realistically been done. There were some interesting things learned however.
Trees are usually top heavy around here, especially pines. Many of our pines grew up surrounded by the forest, especially peer trees as they all reached towards the heavens competing for light. Tree branches would die underneath the canopy as the trees aged, leaving the trees to spread out and mature in high places. The twisting winds of a direct hit of a hurricane generates many rotational currents that often twists the tree. So the top is broken off, like spinning off its top. The failure of the trunk will occur wherever the weakest point is located, often leaving 1/2, or 2/3 or 1/3 or even less of the tree above the ground. I show an example of this phenomenon in the accompanying photographs. No type of tree was exempt from falling. Some, including the pine tree were uprooted. I saw about every kind there is, down on the street or down in a yard. Our parks were heavily affected with many downed trees. 
There were many trees damaged or fallen by the strong winds. Each homeowner had the responsibility to clean up the yard, front and back. Often, there were broken branches to be sawed into manageable size pieces of wood. A chain saw came in handy for that purpose. But afterward, it seemed to take forever before the trash trucks came by. Many homeowners had their yard maintenance contractors haul away the refuse. One reason for that was that the grass was going to die under the refuse. It was better to pay the contractors to haul the stuff away. Putting the refuse on the street was prohibited since it would stop the water drainage systems, which in fact actually happened during the storm. Neighbors pitched in to help each other to clear the storm drains during the height of the flooding and after the hurricane already passed through. So many limbs and leaves had washed into the storm sewer entrances, causing major street flooding.
Afterward, we had to clean up the small stuff which turned out to be a major chore also. It was amazing how many small stems and dead branches were broken by the winds and scattered on the ground.
One additional observation about the damage was what happened to the Yaupons. The wind swirled them around like a mix master. They entangled their limbs with each other and the winds made them lean in different directions than they did before. We thought they were far enough away from the house only to find out that some of the taller branches leaned close to the ground and reached all the way to pound the side of the house in the strong winds. Today, I have still have branches laying low to the ground that used to be high in the canopy and am trimming them back. In the middle part of the canopy where the Yaupons normally reach, the branches of other trees fell, such as pines and oaks. Getting them down out of the Yaupons was a chore. I just finished that chore!
One more observation that is worth considering for the future - if you cut your vines in your trees and leave them to decay naturally, a hurricane will change your mind for the future. The vines are very very slow to decay up in the trees. I ended up with bundles of old vine stems that became sails in the wind. That caused some of the trees and Yaupons to completely change their configuration, entangling many of the limbs. The good thing was that the Yaupons were very bendable. They swayed and danced with the wind regardless if the wind was twisting or straight lining with the wind.
One piece of advice - always trim the stuff away from the house at the beginning of the summer. That is needed to let the house breathe properly as well as protect the house from incurring damage due to tree or plant limbs too near the house. Also, board up windows vulnerable to tree limb damage even if the limbs seem far enough away, within reason of course.
In short, we love our trees and would be highly upset if anyone cut them down because they are a threat in a hurricane. We all know they are a threat in hurricanes, but we lost not one person here due to our trees! We are The Woodlands. Your trees are ours and ours are yours. Property value is dependent on you being a responsible caretaker of our forest. We do have covenants that include protection for our elder trees (these are part of a legal obligation every homeowner has agreed upon in buying a home here).
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Tree identification by bark
I have taken the identification of trees in The Woodlands Texas a step further by photographing and documenting several species of local trees, found mostly in local parks. This is a living article and will be expanded as I find time.
The bark of a tree is an indicator of the type of tree, but it is very difficult to identify the exact species by its bark, although we will often find several variations of bark for the same type of tree, revealing the actual species. Look for the color and texture of the bark. Our goal is to be able to walk through the forest without looking up and calling the tree by its probable name. The leaves will usually make the final distinction in "name that tree".
Bark on trees here in The Woodlands is typical of Southeast Texas forests. One will find a great deal of white on the bark and often evidence of Woodpecker damage. The softer woods will typically have more damage than the hard woods. If you are interested in the use of bark, there is a fairly lengthy internet article produced by the US Department of Agriculture at this link.
Texture
Smooth bark: Yaupon, Magnolia, Crepe Myrtle, American Holly
Checkered bark: White Oak, Willow Oak, Chinese Tallow
Flakey or Peeling bark: Pine, Cypress, River Birch, Sycamore
Grooved bark: Sweetgum, Live Oak, Pecan
Deeply grooved bark: Persimmon, Weeping Willow
Directory in alphabetical order
American Holly
Bald Cypress
Chinese Tallow
Crepe Myrtle
Crepe Myrtle2
Elm
Live Oak
Loblolly Pine
Pecan
Texas Persimmon
River Birch
Red Mulberry
Southern Magnolia
Sycamore
Sweetgum
Yaupon
Weeping Willow
White Oak
Willow Oak
1-2 Sweetgum
Native Indians used to chew the bark of this tree; it was their chewing gum.
1-4 White Oak
The bark of this tree was used by American native Indians to treat Diarrhea and other intestinal problems.
1-5 Loblolly Pine
Pine bark has been found to be a good antioxidant. An extract from this bark is used as a natural treatment for the heart and cancer among other. The chemicals believed to affect certain diseases in humans will vary in each pine species. Refer to this article for more information.
1-6 White Oak
1-7 Chinese Tallow
1-9 Southern Magnolia
1-10 Texas Persimmon
The bark of the Persimmon has medicinal attributes, especially for diarrhea and dysentery.
1-11 Willow Oak
2-14 American Holly
1-13 Weeping Willow
1-14 Yaupon
1-15 Elm
1-16 Crepe Myrtle
2-2 Red Mulberry
2-7 Pecan
2-21 Crepe Myrtle
2-23 Bald Cypress
2-24 Leaves Live Oak
2-25 Live Oak
River Birch
Sycamore
Related Articles
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Tree Identification in my backyard by Leaf
I have begun to identify trees around the immediate area of my home and have started reaching out into the neighborhood and forest. There are more than 20 species in my yard alone! These Photos are mine. I will publish what I discover as I do more field trips in this area. My expectation is that this will eventually become a guide for easier tree identification as I expand the number of trees identified. You are invited to help me with this. This document will remain a resource for all of us as long as this blog exists (hopefully for many years). At the beginning, I am only supplying some leaf photographs here. I have added bark. I will add blooms and fruit later as time and season allows. I figure this should be a great resource for residents, visitors and scouts in East Texas.
Index
Oaks
01. Live Oak
02. Southern Red Oak or Spanish Oak
03. Water Oak
04. White Oak
05. Willow Oak
06. Sawtooth Oak
Others
01. Bald Cypress
02. Chinese Tallow
03. Crepe Myrtle
04. Dogwood (Flowering)
05. Loblolly Pine
06. Magnolia
07. Pecan
08. Red Bud
09. Red Mulberry
10. River Birch
11. Sycamore
12. Sweet Gum
13. Texas Persimmon
14. Yaupon
15. Wax Myrtle
16. Winged Elm
17. Seep Willow
The photo here represents a very common tree, the Live Oak. It is green all year. and develops into a very nice tree when exposed to the sun. Great for blocking light, shade and providing privacy all year long.
Some people regard this tree as a nuisance. It's fruit is a thorny little ball that if you go barefoot outside, will create an "ouch" or two. It is known as the Sweetgum and its fruit the "Gumball". It is a natural part of our local forest and does well surrounded by other tall trees. It's top tends to die back when not protected by the other forest trees and without the swampy nature of our forest, but I have not yet resolved the exact nature of it's problem in that respect. The gumballs contain a chemical Shikimic acid that may be useful for fighting Bird Flu in humans. It is one ingredient of Tamiflu®. The pods are also useful for Christmas decorations and bottom fill for potted plants.
Chinese Tallow
is an invasive species and not a natural inhabitant of our forest. It's roots stretch out on the surface and deprives the other forest trees of precious water and soil space. It has pretty fall foliage as exemplified by this early fall color change. It's dried pods can be annoying when walking outside barefooted. The Woodlands Association suggests the removal of these trees from our yards to encourage the natural reforestation processes of our area. The trees will grow quite tall in competition with the other trees of the forest.
Our East Texas forests have two varieties of Persimmon trees, the American and this one which is the Texas Persimmon. The fruit looks tempting to eat and it can be used for food if timed correctly. The birds and squirrels will eat the fruit voraciously. It is what I call a pucker fruit. Taste it prematurely, and it will suck every last drop of water from your mouth or that is, it feels that way! Typically, one will find this tree in forested areas but where it can have sufficient sunlight to prosper.
One of the most beautiful and grand of our native oaks is the White Oak. It produces acorns in abundance and grows to tremendous stature, providing excellent shade in the summer. Our squirrels love this tree! They bury the acorns in the fall and proliferate the tree in abundance.
Winged Elm blooms early in the Spring and soon afterward throws its seeds all over the place. Therefore, it is a rather messy member of our forest when growing in our yard. It proliferates and some people will end up with this tree dominating their yard. It has to be controlled or it will be the entire forest in your yard. It loves to propagate in flower beds. Its large branches are difficult to cut because the bark is tough and and normal long tree limb shears will not cut them easily.
Wax Myrtle
is more of a bush than a tree but it grows very fast is quite useful to build barriers for noise and lights. It does not shed its leaves in the winter. If trimmed to be a tree, it will grow to be a small tree. It can be manicured and shaped and thus the many area flower beds with this native bush.
Yaupon
is a native small tree or bush that fills the forest with underbrush. The Robin migrates through here in the Spring just because we have its berry to help them move further north. It's red berry is considered a Christmas token, giving us a natural clustered native red berry on our doorsteps each year. This bush can be manicured and shaped to produce interesting configurations of green clumps in our yards. There are poodle shapes, ball shapes and even animal shapes produced with this plant. Some people consider this plant invasive. It is not an invasive plant. It does propagate by its roots as well as its fruit, but it is natural here. I encourage residents to use it as nature intended, as a living quarters and protection for small birds and animals, and food for various creatures and birds of the forest. An ancient Indian black tea can be made from its leaves.
Crepe Myrtle
is well known for its ornamental blooms during our hot summer here. It is a native plant and grows profusely in our climate. To keep the blooms concentrated and within easy view, many gardeners cut them way back in the late fall or winter. This encourages new growth at people's height. Otherwise the blooms can be 20 feet high.
Bald Cypress
is not a native tree, but was brought here about 1620 by early settlers. Since then it has taken hold and seems to be a natural member of the forest. It resides on creeks, rivers, lakes and ponds. We see them in yards and on ponds here. Their root structure at the base of their trunk is a means to balance themselves in the swamp. Those roots help protect baby fish. It is a coniferous tree and grows enormous but slowly. Native Indians used to prefer them for dugout canoes. Today its wood is a popular construction material.
Loblolly Pine
is usually the big guy in the forest. Our area was once a timberland, cultivated and harvested for its pine and hardwoods. Grogans Mill was a place for cutting the timber into usable wood for construction. Green Pine Tea from its leaves is known as a survivor tea, for mariners and outdoorsmen. Pine tar has been used for hundreds of years. Check the link for landowners page and see its many uses.
Water Oak is a magnificent fast growing tree when it has plenty of sun, good soil and space. This one is amongst other forest inhabitants and is therefore a slow grower and competes for every ray of sunlight with its neighbors.
Southern Red Oak or Spanish Oak
is an interesting tree to identify by leaf which is not necessarily the same for all parts of the tree. The leaf structure varies and will look somewhat different in the same tree, especially between high places and low places.
Southern Magnolia is such a grand and ornamental tree. The squirrels and birds love to eat the seed pods off this tree. It's very dark leaves makes it a unique resident in our yard.
Willow Oak grows to 80 feet tall with small acorns
Sawtooth Oak
Seeping Willow (Eastern Baccharis), a bush more than a tree but part of the forest
Very common with little white flowers in early summer.
Pecan (species not yet identified)
Single Pecan leaf
Red Mulberry
Redbud - beautiful early Spring tree flowers and full bodied tree
River Birch is easily identified by its unique peeling bark
The rapid growing Sycamore tree has a reputation to hold. It has about the largest leaf in the forest and it tries really hard to be the largest tree! If you have one in your back yard, you know what leaves are! You have mountains of leaves at this time of the year. You also have lots of shade in the summer and the tree may only be 6-7 years old. The balls among the leaves of the tree make it easy to identify.
The Flowering Dogwood is the princess of the East Texas forests. She reigns in the very early Spring and in the height of color in the Fall. In the Spring she is decked out with white flowers. In the fall, she turns a deep red and is a standout in any crowd, especially among evergreens.
Index
Oaks
01. Live Oak
02. Southern Red Oak or Spanish Oak
03. Water Oak
04. White Oak
05. Willow Oak
06. Sawtooth Oak
Others
01. Bald Cypress
02. Chinese Tallow
03. Crepe Myrtle
04. Dogwood (Flowering)
05. Loblolly Pine
06. Magnolia
07. Pecan
08. Red Bud
09. Red Mulberry
10. River Birch
11. Sycamore
12. Sweet Gum
13. Texas Persimmon
14. Yaupon
15. Wax Myrtle
16. Winged Elm
17. Seep Willow
The photo here represents a very common tree, the Live Oak. It is green all year. and develops into a very nice tree when exposed to the sun. Great for blocking light, shade and providing privacy all year long.
Some people regard this tree as a nuisance. It's fruit is a thorny little ball that if you go barefoot outside, will create an "ouch" or two. It is known as the Sweetgum and its fruit the "Gumball". It is a natural part of our local forest and does well surrounded by other tall trees. It's top tends to die back when not protected by the other forest trees and without the swampy nature of our forest, but I have not yet resolved the exact nature of it's problem in that respect. The gumballs contain a chemical Shikimic acid that may be useful for fighting Bird Flu in humans. It is one ingredient of Tamiflu®. The pods are also useful for Christmas decorations and bottom fill for potted plants.
Chinese Tallow
is an invasive species and not a natural inhabitant of our forest. It's roots stretch out on the surface and deprives the other forest trees of precious water and soil space. It has pretty fall foliage as exemplified by this early fall color change. It's dried pods can be annoying when walking outside barefooted. The Woodlands Association suggests the removal of these trees from our yards to encourage the natural reforestation processes of our area. The trees will grow quite tall in competition with the other trees of the forest.
Our East Texas forests have two varieties of Persimmon trees, the American and this one which is the Texas Persimmon. The fruit looks tempting to eat and it can be used for food if timed correctly. The birds and squirrels will eat the fruit voraciously. It is what I call a pucker fruit. Taste it prematurely, and it will suck every last drop of water from your mouth or that is, it feels that way! Typically, one will find this tree in forested areas but where it can have sufficient sunlight to prosper.
One of the most beautiful and grand of our native oaks is the White Oak. It produces acorns in abundance and grows to tremendous stature, providing excellent shade in the summer. Our squirrels love this tree! They bury the acorns in the fall and proliferate the tree in abundance.
Winged Elm blooms early in the Spring and soon afterward throws its seeds all over the place. Therefore, it is a rather messy member of our forest when growing in our yard. It proliferates and some people will end up with this tree dominating their yard. It has to be controlled or it will be the entire forest in your yard. It loves to propagate in flower beds. Its large branches are difficult to cut because the bark is tough and and normal long tree limb shears will not cut them easily.
Wax Myrtle
is more of a bush than a tree but it grows very fast is quite useful to build barriers for noise and lights. It does not shed its leaves in the winter. If trimmed to be a tree, it will grow to be a small tree. It can be manicured and shaped and thus the many area flower beds with this native bush.
Yaupon
is a native small tree or bush that fills the forest with underbrush. The Robin migrates through here in the Spring just because we have its berry to help them move further north. It's red berry is considered a Christmas token, giving us a natural clustered native red berry on our doorsteps each year. This bush can be manicured and shaped to produce interesting configurations of green clumps in our yards. There are poodle shapes, ball shapes and even animal shapes produced with this plant. Some people consider this plant invasive. It is not an invasive plant. It does propagate by its roots as well as its fruit, but it is natural here. I encourage residents to use it as nature intended, as a living quarters and protection for small birds and animals, and food for various creatures and birds of the forest. An ancient Indian black tea can be made from its leaves.
Crepe Myrtle
is well known for its ornamental blooms during our hot summer here. It is a native plant and grows profusely in our climate. To keep the blooms concentrated and within easy view, many gardeners cut them way back in the late fall or winter. This encourages new growth at people's height. Otherwise the blooms can be 20 feet high.
Bald Cypress
is not a native tree, but was brought here about 1620 by early settlers. Since then it has taken hold and seems to be a natural member of the forest. It resides on creeks, rivers, lakes and ponds. We see them in yards and on ponds here. Their root structure at the base of their trunk is a means to balance themselves in the swamp. Those roots help protect baby fish. It is a coniferous tree and grows enormous but slowly. Native Indians used to prefer them for dugout canoes. Today its wood is a popular construction material.
Loblolly Pine
is usually the big guy in the forest. Our area was once a timberland, cultivated and harvested for its pine and hardwoods. Grogans Mill was a place for cutting the timber into usable wood for construction. Green Pine Tea from its leaves is known as a survivor tea, for mariners and outdoorsmen. Pine tar has been used for hundreds of years. Check the link for landowners page and see its many uses.
Water Oak is a magnificent fast growing tree when it has plenty of sun, good soil and space. This one is amongst other forest inhabitants and is therefore a slow grower and competes for every ray of sunlight with its neighbors.
Southern Red Oak or Spanish Oak
is an interesting tree to identify by leaf which is not necessarily the same for all parts of the tree. The leaf structure varies and will look somewhat different in the same tree, especially between high places and low places.
Southern Magnolia is such a grand and ornamental tree. The squirrels and birds love to eat the seed pods off this tree. It's very dark leaves makes it a unique resident in our yard.
Willow Oak grows to 80 feet tall with small acorns
Sawtooth Oak
Seeping Willow (Eastern Baccharis), a bush more than a tree but part of the forest
Very common with little white flowers in early summer.
Pecan (species not yet identified)
Single Pecan leaf
Red Mulberry
Redbud - beautiful early Spring tree flowers and full bodied tree
River Birch is easily identified by its unique peeling bark
The rapid growing Sycamore tree has a reputation to hold. It has about the largest leaf in the forest and it tries really hard to be the largest tree! If you have one in your back yard, you know what leaves are! You have mountains of leaves at this time of the year. You also have lots of shade in the summer and the tree may only be 6-7 years old. The balls among the leaves of the tree make it easy to identify.
The Flowering Dogwood is the princess of the East Texas forests. She reigns in the very early Spring and in the height of color in the Fall. In the Spring she is decked out with white flowers. In the fall, she turns a deep red and is a standout in any crowd, especially among evergreens.
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