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
