January week 2

This is the most interminable part of the year—cold and barren. However there are signs things will start changing in a couple weeks...buds are starting to swell. But until they pop, it's still an unwelcoming landscape of twigs, leaf litter, and scratchy holly leaves and pine needles. Since I don't have much to work with, here's another winter identification quiz.

1. The finger-like branching and fat buds make this tree easy to identify.

2. This European cousin of the tree above will have yellow flowers in early spring.

3. This tree also has yellow flowers, but it's the papery seed pods that are distinctive.

4. Everybody knows and hates these trees.

5. This is a classic old-fashioned shrub that is distantly related to okra.

6. This native shrub has flowers that smell like bubblegum and large seed pods.

7. This one should be pretty easy.

8. It's the front and center trunk you're trying to identify. The ripples give it away.

9. The thornless and fruitless variety of this mid-west native is used a lot in commercial landscapes. The fissured bark is pretty distinctive.

10. This pioneer species has rough crisscrossed bark.

11. This shrub grows in the western part of the state so it must have been intentionally planted.
12. This fossil species has distinctive spurred branching.

0-5 points: Keep at it!
6-9 points: Nice job!
10-11 points: Impressive!
12 points: Wow!

1. (ɐpıɹo1ɟ snuɹoɔ) pooʍbop buıɹǝʍo1ɟ
2. (sɐɯ snuɹoɔ) ʎɹɹǝɥɔ uɐı11ǝuɹoɔ
3. (ɐʇɐ1nɔıuɐd ɐıɹǝʇnǝɹ1ǝoʞ) ǝǝɹʇ uıɐɹuǝp1ob
4. (ɐn1ɟıɔɐɹʎʇs ɹɐqɯɐpınbı1) ɯnbʇǝǝʍs
5. (snɔɐıɹʎs snɔsıqıɥ) uoɹɐɥs ɟo ǝsoɹ
6. (ɐpıɹo1ɟ snɥʇuɐɔʎ1ɐɔ) qnɹɥsʇǝǝʍs
7. (ɯnɥɔıʇsıp ɯnıpoxɐʇ) ssǝɹdʎɔ p1ɐq
8. (ɐuɐıuı1oɹɐɔ snuıdɹɐɔ) pooʍuoɹı
9. (soɥʇuɐɔɐıɹʇ ɐısʇıpǝ1b) ʇsnɔo1ʎǝuoɥ
10. (ɐıɔɐɔɐopǝnsd ɐıuıqoɹ) ʇsnɔo1 ʞɔɐ1q
11. (ɐuıɥdʎʇ snɥɹ) ɔɐɯns uɹoɥbɐʇs
12. (ɐqo1ıq obʞuıb) obʞuıb

The rest of my January week 2 pictures are on flickr.