So last year I realized I have two different kinds of willow trees in the EcoEcho mini-forest.
THIS year I realized I have two different kinds of birch trees!!
I thought I was harvesting Aspen at first only to realize it was a different kind of Birch. Later I did harvest Aspen as I intended. So ONE kind of Birch did NOT lose its leaves. The other kind of Birch DID lose its leaves!
https://bplant.org/compare/96-220
Gray Birch vs Paper Birch
Gray and paper birch are easily confused as both have white bark, and they often grow together in the same habitat. However, they can be easily distinguished by bark texture or leaf shape.
Who would have guess it!!
So the Gray Birch did NOT lose its leaves.
The Paper Birch is the one I harvested and it did lose its leaves.
https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/43403/are-these-birch-or-aspen-trees
So then I did harvest Aspen only.
So it was about half Birch and half Aspen and I started out with Willow.
Cool - I've never ID'd a tree based on the color of the crown branches!!
Aspens are said to be the largest and oldest living organism in the world because the root system can live for thousands of years. Entire forests of new seedlings continuously sprout from the roots, keeping the colony alive, and even surviving wildfires.
https://www.blackhillsbadlands.com/blog/2011-07-21/aspen-birch-distinguishing-differences
Birch and Aspen - Some Differences in the Bark - vid
The Birch branches are more numerous, thinner, straighter and tend to point upwards. The Aspen on the other hand have far less branches and they are more twisted looking. If you look at the tops of the respective trees side by side there is a huge difference.
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