Trees on the Yale Nature Walk

Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus
Tree ID: 151
Date of tree entry: February 7, 2023

Eastern White Oak
Quercus alba
Tree ID: 150
Prospect and Sachem
Date of tree entry: February 7, 2023
The Quercus alba tree (also known as Eastern White Oak) has a spreading tree shape. It is native to primarily Eastern North America (some Central NA) and can be found all the way from Quebec, Canada to the northern parts of Florida, U.S (USDA, n.d.). The Q. alba tree usually grows to be about 24-30m tall with a DBH of 0.9-1.2m (USDA Forest Service, n.d.). Please see the research section below for more information on the Q. alba tree. Fun fact: the Q. alba tree has medicinal properties, and can be used to treat diarrhea (Foster & Duke, 2014). References: Foster, S., & Duke, J. A. (2014). Peterson field guide to medicinal plants and herbs of eastern and central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. USDA Forest Service. (n.d.). Quercus alba. In SRS–654: Southern Hardwoods - Volume 2. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/quercus/alba.htm

Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum
Tree ID: 140
Date of tree entry: February 23, 2022
Acer saccharum, the Sugar Maple tree is native to the hardwood forests of Eastern Canada and the Northern United States, best known for being the primary source of maple syrup and for its brightly colored fall foliage. Sugar Maples are deciduous tress which normally reach heights of 25-35 m and can even grow up to 45 m. They have deciduous palmate leaves whose color changes year round between green, yellow, orange, red, brown, and colors in between. Their fruit are pairs of samaras, which are colloquially known as "twirly birds" because as they fall from the tree, the twirl around until they reach the ground. Fun Fact: One of the students whose tree this is used to have a sugar maple in her front yard as she is from Wisconsin. The sugar maple is actually the state tree of Wisconsin (in addition to New York, Vermont, and West Virginia).
Black Chokeberry in the Winter

Black Chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa
Tree ID: 137
Prospect and Sachem
Date of tree entry: February 16, 2022
The black chokeberry is a species of shrub that is characterized by its black berries and glossy green leaves. During the spring, the shrub begins to grow white-colored flowers and at the beginning of autumn, it begins to grow clumps of black-colored berries. However, during the winter months, the shrub sheds its leaves and only leaves behind the berries, which can begin to whither due to the cold environment. These berries are edible and serve as a food source for local animals, such as birds.

China rose
Rosa chinensis
Tree ID: 146
Prospect and Sachem
Date of tree entry: February 17, 2022
Waist-high rose bush situated next to Benjamin Franklin College bike path, and across from Yale Health and Grove St Cemetery. In spring, the plant has red flowers and light green leaves; its branches are mottled crimson and brown and are visible in the winter, when the shrub lacks leaves and flowers. Rosa Chinensis is native to south-west China and can grow up to 1 to 2m tall with single, semi-double or double flowers with red, white, pink or purple petals–it can grow in hedges or form thickets. China roses were cultivated in their native lands before the Europeans discovered them. Their floral scent is one of the ways that they lure insects to pollinate and who receive pollen or nectar as a reward–their scent is a particularly important pollinating syndrome when there are poor visual cues for pollinators.

River Birch
Betula nigra
Tree ID: 147
Prospect and Sachem
Date of tree entry: February 17, 2022
The tree is very large with two bifurcations, causing it to have three main trunks. The branches were of the alternating pattern, and seed pods were observed on the ends of the branches. The bark was scaly.

River Birch
Betula nigra
Tree ID: 147
Prospect and Sachem
Date of tree entry: February 17, 2022
The most important thing about river birches is that they were declared by Prince Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, to be the most beautiful of American trees -- a sentiment we definitely agree with. Some other things to know about river birches is that they are deciduous, upright, flowering trees with exfoliated, light brown bark. In the fall, the leaves turn yellow and quickly drop off the tree. This type of birch is the only native birch that thrives in low elevations in the south. In general, river birches grow in wet sites with moist, acidic, sandy, rocky, or well-drained loam (meaning there are equal proportions of sand, silt, and clay. The specific tree we studied is very large with two bifurcations, causing it to have three main trunks. The branches were of the alternating pattern, and seed pods were observed on the ends of the branches. The bark was scaly.

Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra
Tree ID: 148
Prospect and Sachem
Date of tree entry: February 17, 2022
This young red oak tree lives just off of the Farmington Canal Heritage trail behind Pauli Murray College. This tree is both a grower and a show-er, growing over two feet per year and sporting beautiful orangey-red leaves in fall. Its wood is valued for its attractive grain and durability, and its acorns are food for various birds, squirrels, and other wildlife. It is a bit clingy though; it holds onto many of its dead leaves for most of the winter. This does make it a good place for wildlife to seek shelter, and it is also used by many cavity nesting birds. Red oaks tend to be straight and tall with a long round head, but their size varies with geography. Red oaks range across most of the eastern United States and southeast Canada. They can even thrive in the Appalachians thanks to a shallow root system that can handle the rocky terrain, and they are relatively tolerant of pollution, allowing them to survive well in cities too.

Flowering Dogwood
Cornus Florida
Tree ID: 145
Date of tree entry: February 17, 2022
Our tree (Cornus florida) is the flowering dogwood. Flowering dogwoods are small deciduous trees; while our tree is only 9 feet tall today, flowering dogwood trees grow to 33 feet high and are often wider than they are tall when mature. The trunk diameter will grow up to one foot. Flowering dogwoods are native to eastern North America and northern Mexico. They are beautiful trees -- with flowers in the spring, beautiful leaves in the summer, and red fruit and foliage in the fall. Our tree, in particular, is the best tree in the nation!!

Evergreen azalea
Rhododendron indicum
Tree ID: 143
Date of tree entry: February 16, 2022
The evergreen azalea is a green shrub planted next to Yale Health along Lock Street.. Similar to other shrubs in the area, it is small but wide. During the winter season, the bulbs for flowering are not activated, but holds promise for a beautiful array of colors come springtime.

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