DCA Bird Sanctuary:
Black Oak
Black Oaks are medium to large trees, growing to around 80 feet. Their trunks are usually no more than two and a half feet wide. Black Oak leaves are four to ten inches long, with seven to nine lobes (like fingers). Lobes have a pointy bristle on the end. Leaves are shiny green above, and pale green below. Sometimes they have brown hairs underneath. Black Oak leaves turn red in the fall. The bark of Black Oak is smooth and gray on young trees, but as it gets older the bark turns black and thick with deep furrows (wrinkles). The inner bark of this tree is orangish-yellow.
American Beech
American Beech are fairly large trees, usually up to 80 feet tall. Trunks can grow up to 2 1/2 feet wide. American Beech grow in forests with other trees, such as oaks, pines, and hickories. They can also grow in a pure stand (group of the same type of tree). American Beech leaves grow up to five inches long. they are ovate(shaped like an oval) with a pointed tip.
Norway Maple
Norway maple is a fast-growing medium sized tree, up to 18 - 21 m (60' - 70') in height and up to 60 cm (24") in diameter. Bark is grey and smooth when young. The bark is dark grey with shallow, intersecting ridges in a regular, often diamond-shaped pattern. Leaves are palmately lobed, wider than long, each leaf has 5 to 7 lobes that often have bristle-tipped teeth.
Gray Birch
Found in clusters on moist sites in northeastern North America. Rarely 12 m (40 feet) tall, it is covered almost to the ground with flexible branches that form a narrow, pyramidal crown. The thin, glossy, dark green, triangular leaves have long, thin stems and flutter in the wind. In one variety, the leaves are purplish when young.
Shagbark Hickory
Shagbark Hickory trunks are characterized by long, peeling strips of bark. Some animals, like Indiana bats, make their homes in snug crevices beneath the loose bark. Branches and leaves of shagbarks form pretty, oval-shaped crowns in the spring and summer. Hickories are deciduous trees, so when autumn arrives, their leaves turn pale green to yellowish-brown before falling to the ground. The average height of shagbark hickories is between 60 and 80 feet tall, but they sometimes reach 120 feet in height.
Black Walnut
Pin Cherry
Pin cherry, Prunus pensylvanica, is a member of the Rose family (Rosaceae). It is also known by the name of fire cherry, due to its tendency to colonize areas after a fire, making it a valuable pioneer species. Pin cherry trees are shade intolerant, so they grow well in open areas such as fields and in dry soils. This tree species grows quickly, provides shade for seedlings of other species during its short life span of 20 – 40 years. The height of pin cherry trees usually does not exceed 30 feet.
They grow up to 150 feet with long, straight trunks up to a yard in diameter. Their black or dark gray bark is deeply marked with furrows and ridges. Their compound leaves, smooth on top and fuzzy underneath, can be up to 18" in length. Early colonists carried seeds of English walnuts to the New World, planting them diligently where they settled in Massachusetts and Virginia. The trees didn't even survive long enough to bear fruit so colonists learned to rely on the plentiful Black walnuts for cooking confections.
American Holly
American Holly is a small tree or large shrub which is very easy to identify. It grows up to 60 feet tall, but is usually much smaller. American Holly leaves are dark green, tough, and leathery. Sometimes they are very shiny. Underneath, they are yellowish-green. Holly leaves have several "prickles" on the edges. The flowers of American Holly are small and white. They usually bloom from April to June. Fruits of this tree are called drupes. The drupes are green and berry-like, turning to bright red. Drupes grow from September to November and stay on the tree through the winter. American Holly has light gray bark and brown or gray twigs.This tree tolerates shade well and is often an understory tree (grows in forests under larger trees).
Black Cherry
Black Cherry, also known as "Wild Cherry," is usually a small tree, although it can sometimes grow up to 80 feet tall. It can be seen just about anywhere, because it can grow in almost any soil, and because it can tolerate shade as an understory plant. Understory trees, like Black Cherry, can grow under taller trees, such as oaks and hickories. Black Cherry leaves are dark green on top, and light green on bottom. They grow up to five inches long and two inches wide. Leaves turn yellow to red in the Fall. Black Cherry flowers are small and clustered in columns. These trees bloom in April and May. Fruits are small and turn from orange to red to black. Many animals eat the fruits. The bark of Black Cherry is dark gray and scaly. As the tree gets older, the bark gets rougher.
Yellow Poplar
Yellow Poplar leaves are shaped like a tulip blossom. Some people even call this tree a "tulip-tree." Leaves are usually three to six inches long, with four lobes. They are dark or shiny green above, and pale green underneath. Yellow Poplar bark is dark gray, and it becomes thick and furrowed as it gets older.The trunk of this tree can reach three feet across.This tree is found with other hardwood trees, such as oaks, American Beech, maples, Black Cherry, Eastern White Pine, and hickories.Hummingbirds, Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, Tiger Swallowtails and other insects help pollinate this tree when they visit flowers.
