Bitternut Hickory

 Here is a Bitternut hickory tree that is growing in the open in a park. I live near here and I know for at least 17 years this tree has grown in the open. So this tree has an opportunity to be a wolf tree. A wolf tree has a short bole and wide branches. They grow this way because of no competition. But this tree has not taken advantage of this freedom of growth.

 There is some dark growth on the twigs of this hickory. You can also see the terminal bud which ID's it as a bitternut hickory. Long fuzzy yellow/orange bug.

 Here is a photo of the hickory nut. Notice the ridges on the end of the nut. This ID's it as Bitternut hickory.

Boxelder Maple

 Unusual Boxelder maple with twisted bole. This tree has recently been damaged by a wind storm.

Pawpaw

I don't see Paw paw trees growing tall often. These are over 15' tall. This is usually an understory tree. The diameter of these trees were all under 2". It is reported that the tree seldom reaches a height of over 20'.

Shingle Oak

 Here is a Shingle oak I measured:
height 82.8'
Canopy 63' one way and 67' the other
Circumference 7' 11 1/2"
Total points of 194.6

Here is a list for the champion trees in Missouri.

Northern Red Oak

 Hiking at the edge of the woods I saw this dominate stem. I went into the woods to investigate.

 I measured the diameter as 8' 3 1/16"

 The tree height will have to come later. It had grown as tall as trees uphill from it.

Mulberry Branch

 Here is an example of a Mulberry (red) branch that is growing sideways to get light. I thought the tree was over topped and had sent this lateral to acquire light. As I backed up to see what was overtopping the tree there was nothing above it. So it is a riddle. There may have been a tree there that had died in the past.

Maybe the tree has recently gained dominance in the forest  and sent out this branch before that happened.

Chinese Elm

 I ran across these Chinese elm during my lunch hike. The soft color green is due to the small leaves also the trees have been ravaged by bugs that have eaten parts of the leaves. These trees are still going strong.

Pin Oak

The acorn cap just covers the top of the acorn.

I got some photos of Pin oak the other day. Notice the acorns have pin stripes down the side.  The bark is unusually smooth for a mature tree. The lobes are extra wide and the leave lobes are thin.

Ohio Buckeye Husk

Bee Gathering Nectar

Young American Basswood Bark

Ageratum, White Snake Root / Ageratina altissima

Ageratina altissima

Names this plant has been called.

Ageratum, Snake root, White snake root, White Sanicle , Tall Boneset

 Started running into Snake root yesterday. These 2 photos were at the bottom of a cliff in the open sun.

 Here I found Snake root in a draw. The leaves were narrower but the flowers were exact. Maybe a different race?

The leaves are opposite and rotate 90 degrees at each rank.

Here I run into it again in the Missouri river bottoms.


Tremetol is toxic. When cattle eat it, it gets in the milk and passed into humans will poison. Also called milk sickness.

Nancy Hanks Abraham Lincoln's mother died of this. Thousands died in the 19th century before they realized what the plant was.



Early settlers thought the bitter rhizomes were beneficial in the treatment of snakebites. That's where the snakeroot name came from.

Shagbark Hickory Nut

Bitternut Hickory Nut

Cossack Asparagus :) Cattails

The plant is editable at different times during the year. The new white growth coming up in March tastes like cucumbers. The plant is known in Russia as Cossack Asparagus.

When the sprouts are 2 foot tall that is the best time to eat them.

Rocky Mountain Juniper