Solving tree mysteries
How would you like to be a tree detective? To be a tree detective you
have to be able to use clues to find out the names of the trees you see.
You can use the tree charts on pages 172-185 to help you in your
detective work. These charts show more than 40 common trees. Under each
tree’s name and picture, the parts of the tree are shown—its leaf or
needle, its flower or bud, its fruit or cone, and its bark.
Take this book with you when you start your detective work. There are
probably several kinds of trees growing near your house. Look first at a
tree’s leaves. They’re your first clue. Compare a leaf with the leaves
shown in the identification chart. If you can find a picture that looks
just like your real leaf, you’re getting warm.
Next, look at the bark on your tree. Does it look like the picture of
the bark that’s under the leaf picture? If it doesn’t, you’re barking up
the wrong tree. Keep looking at the chart. Can you find a tree that has
a leaf, bark, and other things that look just like those on the real
tree? If you can, you’ve solved the mystery. You’ve learned the tree’s
name.
flowering dogwood
red maple
