![]() Red oaks have a cluster of buds at the ends of their branches: a terminal bud with many scales accompanied by two or three slightly smaller laterals. Its lateral buds are opposite and leaf scars are V-shaped. For example, the sugar maple has a sharp, pointed terminal bud with many scales. Looking at all of these features together makes it relatively easy to identify most deciduous trees in winter. The leaf scar located below the winter bud – where the leaf fell off in autumn – varies in size and shape and is another identifying characteristic. In others, such as elm, the side buds occur singly as they spiral up the stem – a pattern called alternate branching. In some species, such as sugar and red maple, the lateral buds are paired and opposite each other on the twig. With practice and the help of a field guide, you can identify trees in winter by examining their buds, as well as the arrangement of buds on the stem. Some, however, like bitternut hickory, have naked buds instead of bud scales, the outermost pair of leaves is thick and waterproof and completely encloses the inner leaves.īuds come in a diversity of colors, shapes, and sizes. Most deciduous tree buds have overlapping scales to protect the delicate leaves and flowers inside. ![]() In trees without a true terminal bud, such as basswood, the lateral bud closest to the end of the twig – called a pseudoterminal bud – will grow the branch leader. Heinrich found the leading shoots of several deciduous trees in Maine had already grown six inches by late May, while most of the lateral buds had not yet opened. So the terminal bud releases a growth hormone that stimulates elongation of the main shoot and inhibits growth of the buds below. A tree’s first priority, explains Heinrich, is growth at the apex to reach sunlight. Lateral buds on the sides of the stem will grow as side branches. Most trees, such as sugar maple, have a terminal bud at the end of each twig this will become the leader of the branch. According to Vermont biologist and author Bernd Heinrich in his books Winter World and Trees in my Forest, pre-formed buds enable trees to begin growing quickly in spring, allowing them to make the most of a short growing season. Some trees have separate buds for leaves and flowers so they can open at different times, while in other species, flowers and leaves are contained within the same bud. If you slice open a bud and use a magnifier, you can see tiny green leaves and flowers folded up inside. By withdrawing water from them before winter, deciduous trees protect their buds from frost damage. These buds formed last summer and are designed to withstand snow, ice, and subzero temperatures. However, each twig holds many buds – small, wrapped packages of potential awaiting the spring. The bare branches of the trees outside my window seem lifeless in late winter.
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