With lots of the leaves now fallen from maple trees and other tree types, it can be hard to tell if the tree is dead or alive.  A closer look can help us decide!  If there are buds on the branches, the tree is alive.  Can’t tell if that bump is a bump or a bud?  Binoculars can be used as a magnifying glass too:  turn them around and look through the opposite end with one eye, holding the bud close to the other lens.

Is this leaf-less beaked hazel shrub dead or alive?

Alive!  The leaf buds on beaked hazel usually form mid-summer, so preparation for the following year’s leaves starts very early.

What do you see in your neighborhood?

-Luciana Ranelli