Friends of Big Rock Park here in Pella Iowa held their first event of the season–a walk lead by ecologist Dr. Paul Weihe. We learned to identify and appreciate trees without leaves. Several of the walkers were new to Iowa and wanted to learn what trees are native to our state. 

Iowa’s most common type of timber are oak-hickory forests.

Oaks are slow growing but strong with “ski slope” bark, sometimes taking on different colors. This red oak tree, shown below, with bark shading of white, black, green, and red is older than Pella!

Oaks hang onto their leaves longer than many other deciduous trees, keeping them well into winter. It’s thought that this might serve as a buffer against winter winds and also help the trees warm up when spring comes. I’ve long felt slight resentment for my oak trees when they drop leaves onto the snow which makes them inconvenient for raking. Now, I’ll understand them better. 

One identifying feature of an oak is the starburst pattern within the branch. 

This star pattern translates into waves when oak is used for building. 

Oaks are hardy and even a half dead one will provide plenty of habitat for forest creatures.

The Shagbark Hickory is hard to miss with its bark looking like a league of wild cats attacked a favorite couch. 

This poor shagbark, below, was killed during the growing season and unable to undergo seasonal abscission and shed its leaves.

The distinctive ridged bark of the hackberry:

Large, in charge and near water. It must be an Eastern Cottonwood! These are fast growing with weak branches that drop a lot of wood. They aren’t good yard trees. My mom always claimed she was allergic to their fluff—which is their seeds—and I guess she wasn’t alone. Other people say the same. In the wild, the trees  have plenty of uses to foragers including as arthritis wraps. 

The characteristic burst of thorns is found in a Honey Locust.

Shaggy bark and a leak of sap help identify this as a black cherry. These trees grow small cherries with pits and aren’t generally used by humans, but many wild critters including birds and butterflies love them.

It’s even possible to identify a tree from just a stick. Look for leaf scars and check if they are opposite each other or alternated. A big bud such as shown below means a big flower is wintering in there. If it’s wrapped in a fuzzy coat, it’s a magnolia. 

Public spaces are a treasure and here in Iowa, they are rare gems. Iowa has about 1% of its land owned by the state and federal government which makes our city owned land even more precious. Big Rock Park is 83 acres, about the size of Crapo Park in Burlington. By contrast, a single family owns 400,000 acres here in Iowa and this oil-rich family also owns most of Idaho and Utah. Thank you to the Pella Community Foundation for sponsoring this event, to the Friends of Big Rock Park for their arrangements, and to Dr. Paul Weihe of Central College! 

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