Ohio Trees

Spring of 2023, I spent every second of my free time learning to identify trees by bark alone. Which is something I should have done years ago, and generally speaking I kind of figured I knew what some trees are, but even our common Oaks for example have dozens of varieties, not to mention they all look different as they age. It's important to know which Maples are sugar before you tap them, and you must learn to identify Elm trees if you want to be successful at finding Morels.

I took all these pictures, identified and labeled them myself.

I've tried to go off the beaten path in places where I know trees will be, that humans are not. We have SO MANY native fruits and nuts here in Ohio, I plan to take my foraging right on through winter every year in the woods. Believe me when I say this is hardly half of the pictures I've taken, and only a fraction of the species that grow in our region....but once late spring into summer comes, it's much easier to identify. Keep in mind these are bark patterns only...no growth structure, canopy size, leaves, seeds or fruits. About as hard as it gets, especially if you've never done this before. Its not only fun, but incredibly rewarding to know that I can identify by sight alone.