Download 3rd and 4th Grade Forestry - York County Conservation District

York County Envirothon- 3rd and 4th Grade Forestry
Study Species Identification Packet
Backyard Species
Table of Contents:
Deciduous Simple Leaves:
1.
Callery “Bradford” Pear (exotic)
2.
Flowering Dogwood- opposite
3.
Norway Maple (exotic) – SEED PROVIDED
4.
Redbud – SEED PROVIDED
5.
Red Maple- opposite
6.
Red Oak – SEED PROVIDED
7.
Sweetgum – SEED PROVIDED
8.
Sycamore
Deciduous Compound Leaves:
9.
Black Locust
10.
Black Walnut – SEED PROVIDED
11.
Virginia Creeper - vine
12.
Poison Ivy – vine
Evergreen Leaves:
13.
American Holly
14.
Eastern Hemlock – SEED PROVIDED
15.
Eastern Red Cedar- opposite
16.
Eastern White Pine
17.
Sources
Callery “Bradford” Pear
Pyrus calleryana
Identification Features:
 Leaves have alternate arrangement.
 Leaves are simple.
 Leaves are shiny, green, and slightly toothed.
 Leaves are heart-shaped or ovate and 2-3 inches long.
 Small, sometimes stinky white flowers appear in spring
before the leaves.
 Brown fruits are smaller than ½ inch.
 This small tree can reach up to 40 feet tall.
Tree in Spring
Habitat:
 Callery Pear is native to Asia. It was introduced to
Maryland in 1918. It’s an “exotic” species.
 Roadsides, old fields
 Cities and Suburbs
Wildlife Value/Impact:
 Pear trees are larva host plants to over 100 species of
butterflies and moths including the Saddleback Looper.
Native varieties of pear species host more insects than the
Bradford Pear.
 Some birds eat the fruits of Callery Pear including European
Starlings, Mockingbirds, and Cardinals.
 Callery pears compete with native early successional trees
in old fields and hedgerows.
Leaf
Human Value:
 Many people like the look of the white flowering tree in spring and enjoy that the leaves don’t
get eaten by many insects.
 Some native and more beneficial alternatives to Bradford Pear are Allegheny Serviceberry or
White Fringetree.
Fruits
Introduced
Range
Flower
1
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Identification Features:
 Leaves have opposite arrangement.
 Leaves are simple and 3-5 inches long.
Flowers
 Leaf margin is entire or smooth.
 Leaves turn bright red in fall.
 Buds look like miniature garlic cloves or onions.
 Flowers look large and white (but the white parts are actually leaves, and
the flowers are yellow in the center).
 Seeds are egg shaped red drupes in clusters of 2-5
visible in fall.
 Bark is broken into small blocks like alligator skin.
 Small tree that grows about 30 feet tall.
Leaf
Habitat:
 Forest understory (grows beneath taller trees).
Wildlife Value:
Drupes
 Drupes are eaten by squirrels, chipmunks, mice, grey
fox, black bear, skunk, beaver, white-tailed deer, quail, cardinals, mockingbirds, robins, turkey,
and woodpeckers.
 Leaves and twigs are eaten by white-tailed deer, beaver, and Eastern Cottontails.
 Dogwoods are larval host plants to over 115 species of butterflies and moths including the
amazing Monkey Slug, also known as the Hag Moth and the beautiful Stinging Rose
Caterpillar.
 Dogwood flowers provide nectar for pollinating insects like bees, beetles, and butterflies.
 Tiny insects like aphids, and scale insects eat the juices of dogwood bark or leaves.
Grey Squirrel
Human Value:
 Decorative tree for yards and
businesses.
 Berries are poisonous to humans.
 Native Americans used the bark for many
different medicines.
 Flowering Dogwood is planted to improve
soil because leaf litter decomposes
quickly, providing nutrients to the soil.
 Wood is used for handles, charcoal, golf
club heads, roller skate wheels, knitting
needles, and more! Wood is hard, strong, and shock resistant.
2
Eating Drupes
Norway Maple
Acer platanoides
Leaf
Identification Features:
 Leaves have opposite arrangement on the branch.
 Leaves are simple.
 Leaves are palmately veined with 5-7 lobes and coarse
teeth.
 Flowers are bright yellow-green in the spring before the
leaves grow.
 Fruits are samaras which hang in clusters in late
summer.
 Leaves and twigs ooze milky sap when cut or torn.
 Medium tree about 65 feet tall with a dense round
shape.
Habitat:
 Norway Maples were introduced to North America from
London in 1756. It’s an “exotic” species.
 Norway Maple is the most widespread maple in
Europe.
 In the United States it’s planted in cities and suburbs.
 Norway Maple invades forests next to suburban areas.
Flowers
Samaras
Wildlife Value/Impact:
 The maple family is larval host plants to over 250
caterpillar and moth species. It’s unknown whether the
exotic Norway Maple is as beneficial as native maples.
 Research has shown that forests invaded by Norway
Maple have less wildflower diversity than forests with
native Sugar Maples.
 Trees provide shelter and nesting sites for wildlife.
Human Value:
 Norway Maple is listed as a Noxious Weed by
Connecticut and Massachusetts
state governments. It is prohibited in
Massachusetts.
 Native maples like Sugar Maple
should always be planted instead of
Norway Maples.
Sugar Maple Samara
Introduced Range
3
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Leaf and Seedpod
Identification Features:
 Leaves have alternate arrangement on the
branch.
 Leaves are simple.
 Leaves are heart-shaped, 3-5 inches long.
 Leaf margin is entire or smooth.
 Flower is ½ inch long pink or purple in
clusters along the twigs, branches, and trunk
before leaves emerge in spring.
 Fruits are flattened, dry, brown seedpods 2-4 inches long. Each
pod contains flat brown seeds.
 Small tree up to 30 feet tall.
Habitat:
 Understory tree in woods, valleys, hillsides, hilltops
Wildlife Value:
 Redbud is the larval host plant for over 15 species of butterflies
and moths including the American Dagger Moth.
 Hummingbirds drink nectar from redbud flowers in the spring.
 Honeybees collect pollen from redbud flowers in the spring.
 White-tailed Deer eat the twigs and leaves.
 Bobwhite quail and songbirds eat the seeds.

Insects like weevils eat the seeds
and leaves.
Human Value:
 Native Americans used the bark
and roots of Eastern Redbud to
make tea and to treat whooping
cough and other illnesses.
 Eastern Redbud flowers are
edible.
Flowers with Bee
4
White-tailed Deer
Leaves
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Identification Features:
 Leaves have opposite arrangement on the branch.
 Leaves are simple.
 Leaves are up to 4 inches long.
Flowers






Leaves have three lobes with small teeth.
Leaves turn orange or red before falling off in the fall.
Flowers are reddish-orange, droop in clusters, and
appear in spring.
Fruits are called samaras. Each samara has a red, pink,
or yellow “wing”.
Bark is thin, smooth, and gray when young. Older bark
may be dark grey, rough, and scaly.
Red Maples can grow to be 90 feet tall.
Habitat:
 Forests, stream banks, fields, understory
Wildlife Value:
 Maple trees are larval host plants for over 285 butterfly and caterpillar species including the
spectacular Crowned Slug and Spiny Oak Slug, and some of our giant silk moths including the
Polyphemus Moth and Cecropia Moth. Maple is also host plant to the giant Imperial Moth
caterpillar which reaches over 3 inches in length. The pretty pink and yellow Rose Maple Moth
eats nothing but maple and oak as a caterpillar.
 Young Red Maple trees are a favorite food of White-tailed Deer.
 Maple samaras are eaten by squirrels and birds.
 Insects drink nectar from Red Maple flowers including Tiger Swallowtails, Mourning Cloak
butterflies and bees.
 Leaf hoppers, scale insects, and beetles dine on the plant juices
Red Squirrel eating samara
and wood of Red Maple.
 Woodpeckers, Screech Owls, Wood Ducks, Rat Snakes, and other
animals may nest in holes in Red Maple trunks.
Samaras
Human Value:
 Red maples are used to
make paper, furniture,
cabinets, plywood, floors
and railroad ties.
 Red maples can be
tapped for sap and made
into maple syrup.
Leaves
Red Oak
Quercus rubra
Identification Features:
 Leaves have alternate arrangement on the branch.
 Leaves are simple.
 Leaves have 7-11 lobes with several bristle-tipped teeth.
 Lower leaf surface has tufts of hairs where the veins
branch.
 Male flowers are catkins in spring. Female flowers are
spikes.
 Fruits are acorns 2-2.5 inches long.
 Medium to large size tree that can reach up to 90 feet tall.
Habitat:
 Forests, cities
Acorn
Wildlife Value:
 Oak trees are larval host plants for over 500 species of butterflies
and moths including the Red-spotted Purple Butterfly, the Io
Moth, and Spotted Apatelodes.
 Branches and leaves are eaten by white-tailed deer, elk,
cottontail rabbits, and moose!
 Many mammals eat the acorns of red oak including the whitefooted mouse, eastern chipmunk, flying squirrel, and deer mice.
 Birds like the northern bobwhite, red-headed woodpecker,
bluejay, and ruffed grouse eat the acorns. Many species of ducks
also eat the acorns including the golden-eye duck.
 Many red oak trees hold onto their brown leaves in the winter,
making them good shelter for a variety of birds and mammals.
Human Value:
 Red oaks can be planted in
polluted areas such as old coal
mine spoils to restore a natural
habitat.
 Traditionally acorns of many oak
trees were used by Native
American peoples as a food and
medicine source. Red Oak
acorns were soaked and boiled
to remove bitter tannins.
Chipmunk with Acorn
6
Flowers
Leaves
Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
Identification Features:
 Leaves have alternate arrangement and are
simple, palmately lobed with 5-7 points.
 Leaves are toothed and look like stars.
 Leaves are aromatic. They have a pleasant
smell when crushed.
 Flowers are tiny, green, and have no true



petals.
Tiny brown winged seeds are inside brown,
spiny “gum balls”.
Young twigs can develop wings of corky bark.
A large tree that can grow over 100 feet tall.
Goldfinch
eating
seeds
Habitat:
 Wet woods, swamps, stream banks, old
fields. Prefers sunny places.
Wildlife Value:
 Seeds are eaten by finches, ducks, quails,
chickadees, sparrows, wrens, squirrels,
and chipmunks.
Luna Moth
 Beavers use the wood for making dams.
Young trees may get eaten by deer, Eastern
Cottontails, mice, or beavers.
 Sweetgum is the larval host plant for over 30 species of
butterflies and moths including two of our biggest moths;
the Promethea Moth, which has a wingspan of 3 ¾ inches;
and the Luna Moth, which has a wingspan of 4 1/8 inches!
 Sweetgums provide shelter for many birds and mammals.
 Treehoppers nibble the leaves of sweetgum.
Flowers
Human Value:
 Planted as a windbreaker and to help control erosion.
 Sweetgum wood is used for lumber, railroad ties, pulpwood for paper, and furniture.
 Sweetgum is planted along street sides for its shade and beauty. Leaves turn bright yellow to
dark red in the fall.
 Sap is used as an ingredient in medicine and perfume.
 Native Americans made chewing gum from the sap, tea from the seeds and bark, and used the
roots for many medicines.
7
Leaf
Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
Identification Features:
 Leaves are alternately arranged on the branch and are
simple, coarsely toothed, and palmately lobed with 3-5
lobes.
 Sycamore bark is unique. It’s smooth and white and peels
off in large chunks. As it peels off it leaves a collage of
white, brown, green, and grey- similar to a camouflage
clothing pattern.
 Flowers are green or red and tiny in ball-shaped clusters.
 Fruits are brown balls hanging on stalks. The dry, hairy
seeds are packed tightly together inside the fruit ball. This
type of seed is called an achene.
 One of the largest hardwood trees, growing 60-100 feet tall
or larger. Some sycamores have been found with 15 foot
diameter trunks!
Flowers
Fruit
Habitat:
 Forests, stream and lake edges
Bark and
Screech Owl in Cavity
Wildlife Value:
 Sycamore is the larval host plant for
over 40 species of butterflies and
moths including one of our most
impressive moths, the Regal Moth,
which reaches over 4 inches as a bright green caterpillar and
as a bright orange moth has a wingspan of 6 inches!
 Birds like American Goldfinches, Chickadees, Finches, and
Mallards eat Sycamore seeds. Mammals like beavers,
muskrats, and gray squirrels eat Sycamore seeds.
 Beavers eat Sycamore bark.
 As Sycamore trees become older they may become hollow inside
and become home to woodpeckers, owls, chimney swifts,
woodducks and raccoons.
Human Value:
 Sycamore wood is used for furniture, floors, butcher’s blocks, particle
board, pulp, and baskets.
 Sycamores are planted along stream edges to help prevent erosion.
 Sycamores are planted in backyards and cities to provide shade.
 Sycamores are planted to rehabilitate waste sites such as strip-mined areas.
8
Regal Moth
Caterpillars
One Leaf
Black Locust
Robinia pseudoacacia
Seedpods
Identification Features:
 Leaves have alternate arrangement on the branch
and are pinnately compound with 7-19 oval leaflets.
Each leaflet is about 1-2 inches long. The entire leaf
is 6-12 inches long.
 Seeds are in a thin, flat pod 2-4 inches long. There
are 2-14 seeds in each pod.
 Flowers are white and very fragrant in drooping
clusters. Flowers bloom in late spring.
 Bark is light gray with deep furrows.
 Spines grow on twigs in pairs. They’re sharp!

Flowers
Honey
Medium-sized tree that grows up
to 80 feet tall.
Habitat:
 Woods, fields, streamsides
Wildlife Value:
 Seeds are eaten by squirrels,
Northern bobwhite, mourning
doves, wild turkey, white-tailed
deer, and Eastern cottontails.
 Flower nectar is made into honey
Bobwhite







by honeybees.
Flowers are pollinated by bees and hummingbirds.
Locust is the larval host plant for over 65 species of butterflies
and moths including the Silver Spotted Skipper.
Woodpeckers make cavities in Black Locust for nesting.
Many animals use Black Locust for cover.
Human Value:
 Wood doesn’t rot quickly in the
ground, so it’s commonly used for fenceposts, poles, paper, boxes,
stakes, firewood, and railroad ties.
Black locust seeds are poisonous to humans.
Black locust is planted to reduce soil erosion.
Black locust is planted near honeybee hives because the flowers
produce a large supply of nectar the bees can make into honey.
9
Spines
One Leaf
Black Walnut
Juglans nigra
Identification Features:




Leaves are alternate.
Leaves are compound.
Leaflets are lance shaped.
Leaves have 15-24 leaflets. Each leaflet is 2-4 inches long
with small teeth.



Leaflets are paler below and hairy on the underside.
The leaf stem has very fine hairs.
Seeds are round nuts, 1-2 inches in diameter. Seeds
ripen in the fall. Seeds are covered by a thick, green,
spongy husk seen below.
Male flowers are called catkins and look like dangling
green earrings. They are visible as the young leaves
are opening in the spring. Male and female flowers look
different.


Flowers
Large tree up to 100 feet tall.
Seeds
Habitat:

Forests with moist soils, floodplains, and low
on hillsides.
Wildlife Value:



Nuts are eaten by squirrels. Yellow-bellied
sapsuckers drill holes in the bark to eat sap.
Twigs are eaten by deer, mice, and Eastern
cottontails.
Walnut leaves are food for over 130 types of
caterpillars and many other types of insects
including aphids, lace bugs, and Luna Moths.
Human Value:



Nut Shell Opened by Squirrel
Wood is used to make quality furniture, musical
instruments, and guns.
Shells are ground for use in many products
including cleaning jet engines, filler in dynamite,
and an ingredient in car tires.
Nuts are harvested for use in baked goods and ice
cream.
10
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Identification Features:







Leaves are alternate on the vine and palmately
compound with five leaflets.
Leaflets have toothed margins.
Leaves are red when young, turn green, and turn
bright red again in the fall.
Small green flowers appear in the spring.
Small clusters of bluish-black berries appear in
early summer.
Older vines have pale raised dots.
Woody vine.
Leaves
Habitat:

Forests, forest clearings, fencerows, and stream
banks.
Wildlife Value:




Virginia Creeper berries are eaten by birds, mice, skunks, chipmunks, squirrels, cattle, and
deer.
The leaves provide cover for small animals.
Vines provide birds with perches, nesting sites, and places to find food.
Virginia Creeper makes a great ground cover on shady slopes to prevent erosion.
Human Value:



Berries are highly toxic to humans and may be fatal if eaten. The sap can cause skin irritation
for some people.
Virginia Creeper bark has been
used medicinally for many
Berries
purposes including a cure for
diarrhea and cough syrup.
Used in gardens because of its
beautiful fall leaves. It looks great
covering walls and fences.
11
Poison Ivy
Toxicodendron radicans
Identification Features:








Leaves are alternately arranged on the branches.
Leaves are palmately compound.
Each leaf has three leaflets.
Leaflets are oval.
Poison ivy can grow as a groundcover, vine, or
shrub.
The vine has a hairy appearance.
Flowers are small and green or white.
Berries are small and whitish gray.
Leaves
Flowers
Habitat:

Can live almost anywhere. Dry or moist sites.
Woods or fields. Roadsides and paths.
Wildlife Value:


At least 75 species of birds eat the fruits and
seeds of poison ivy.
Mammals including bears, deer, muskrats, Eastern
Cottontails, squirrels, mice, and rats eat the
leaves, stems, and fruits of poison ivy.
Berries
Yellow-rumped Warbler Eating Poison Ivy Berries
Human Value:


May cause rashes for humans who come in contact with any part of the plant. Therefore, poison
ivy is generally removed where humans may come in contact with it.
Poison ivy may be valuable as a native plant that can colonize disturbed areas protecting soil from
erosion.
12
Leaves and Drupes
American Holly
Ilex opaca
Identification Features:
 Leaves are evergreen, simple, broad, dark green, tough,
and leathery with sharp, pointed teeth.
 Flowers of American Holly are small and white. They
bloom in late spring.
 Holly fruits are called drupes. Holly drupes are bright red in the fall and winter.
 American Holly can grow up to 60 feet tall.
Habitat:
 Understory of the forest
Wildlife Value:
 Holly is the host plant for over 30 species of butterfly and
moth larva.
 Many animals eat the drupes of American Holly
including wild turkey, Northern bobwhite, cedar
waxwings, squirrels, meadow voles, white-footed
mouse, red fox, and Eastern box turtle.
 Insects like bees, wasps, and moths visit American Holly
flowers to drink nectar and collect pollen.
 American Holly branches make great nesting sites for
birds.
Flowers
Wreath
Human Value:
 American Holly wood is used to make handles, rulers,
piano keys, and violin pegs.

Eastern Bluebird Eating Holly Drupes


13
Holly leaves and drupes are
often used for Christmas
decorations.
American Holly is planted
around homes and parks for
their beauty and as a wildlife
attractor.
American Holly drupes are
poisonous to humans.
Leaves and Cones
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis
Identification Features:
 Leaves are evergreen.
 Leaves are needles attached singly to branches.
 Needles are flattened and about ½ inch long.
 Needles are dark and glossy above and light green with two
white lines below.
 Seeds are in tiny cones ¾ inch long. Cones are egg-shaped.
Under each cone scale are two small winged seeds.
 Large, long-lived tree. Some old growth forests have
hemlocks that are up to 400 years old!
Habitat:
 Cool, moist forests.
Wildlife Value:
 Ruffed grouse, wild turkey, and songbirds eat the
seeds.
 Many birds find shelter on the branches of Hemlock
trees.
 The deep shade that hemlock trees provide helps
keep forest streams cool.
Flowers
Human Value:
 Tannic acid was harvested from Hemlock tree bark
and is used for tanning leather.
 Wood was used
Crossbill Eating Hemlock Seeds
in construction.
 State tree of
Pennsylvania.
 Native Americans used hemlock wood as an ingredient in
bread and soups. Tea was made from leaves which have
high vitamin C content.
 Used in landscaping as a visual or wind screen. It can be
shaped into rectangular hedges.
14
Leaves
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Identification Features:
 Leaves are evergreen, scaly, and short.
 Red Cedar has two types of flowers. Male
flowers are yellowish-brown and female flowers
are light bluish-green.
 Flowers turn into berry-like cones that turn blue


Cones
in September. Cones are about ¼ inch wide.
Bark is reddish-brown and peeling off.
Eastern Red Cedar can grow up to 40 feet tall.
Bark
Habitat:
 Fields, roadsides, forest understory
Wildlife Value:
 Cedar is the host plant for over 35 species of butterfly and
moth larva including the Juniper Hairstreak.
 Young Red Cedars get eaten by white-tailed deer, mice, and
Eastern cottontails.
 Cones are eaten by many birds and mammals including
American robins, cedar waxwings, purple finches, American
crows, woodpeckers, skunks, raccoons, and many more.
 Red Cedars are important cover for small mammals and
make great nesting sites for birds.
 Earthworms like to live in the soil around Red Cedars.
 Many fungi like to grow on Red Cedar.
Juniper Hairstreak
Human Value:
 The wood of Red Cedar is used for fence
posts, poles, paneling, furniture, pencils, pet
bedding, and chests.
 Red Cedars are planted as Christmas Trees
and as hedges.
 Red Cedars are planted in backyards and
parks to attract wildlife.
 Red Cedar wood has insect-repelling
properties, so it’s used to help repel clothing
moths by putting wood or shavings in closets
and chests.
Fungi, Gymnosporangium juniperi
15
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus
Identification Features:
 Leaves are evergreen.
 Leaves are needles in clusters of 5. Each needle is 2 ½ - 5
inches long and bluish green.
 White Pine flowers are shaped like small yellow cones.
 Seeds are in cones 5-8 inches long. Cones do not have
prickles. Each cone scale holds 2 winged seeds.
 Large tree reaching 50-90 feet high. Historically, White
Pines have been found to reach over 150 feet tall and live
over 400 years!
Needles
Bald Eagle Nest
Habitat:
 Forests
Wildlife Value:
 Seeds and needles are eaten by birds, squirrels,
chipmunks, voles, and mice.
 Deer and Eastern cottontails eat the young twigs.
 Beavers, Eastern cottontails, and porcupines eat the bark
of white pine.
 Needles are food for over 203 species of caterpillars
including loopers, inchworms, the Pine Devil Moth, and the
Imperial Moth.
 Many fungi parasitize White Pine including the honey
mushroom and dye polypore.
 Birds make their nest in the
Flowers
branches of white pine,
especially bald eagles.
Human Value:
 Planted in parks and
neighborhoods.
 Valuable timber is used for
furniture, cabinets, house
construction, matches, and
paper.
 Historically used for ship
masts because of their large
straight trunk.
16
Cones
Primary Sources:
Bringing Nature Home
http://www.bringingnaturehome.net/
Butterflies and Moths of North America
www.butterfliesandmoths.org
Common Trees of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of
Forestry, Harrisburg, PA
Invasive Plants of Pennsylvania: Norway Maple, Callery Pear
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_010242.pdf
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_010291.pdf
Landscape Plants, Oregon State University
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/#abedw
Princeton Field Guides: Caterpillars of Eastern North America
David L. Wagner, 2005
Study of Northern Virginia Ecology
www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology.htm
USDA Plant Fact Sheets: Eastern Redbud, American Sycamore, Northern Red Oak, American Holly,
etc.
http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_ceca4.pdf
http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_ploc.pdf
http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_quru.pdf
http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_ilop.pdf
17