Each autumn, we revel in the beauty of seasonal color. As the weather turns cooler, the trees will once again put on their show of brightly colored leaves. The mixture of red, purple, orange and yellow is the result of chemical processes taking place inside the tree as the seasons change. But what are the […]
Vanishing Acts: The Franklin Tree
Like a true southern belle, the Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha) is rooted in Dixieland and its name boasts impressive lineage. With camellia-like, sweetly fragrant, snow white flowers, it is unusually beautiful and a rare find. So rare, in fact, Franklin trees are extinct in the wild and have not been seen in their natural habitat […]
Vanishing Acts: Monkey Puzzle
What’s in a name? This one alludes to the fact that climbing the monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana), with its sharp branches covered in spiny leaves, would puzzle even a monkey. It was first discovered by Spanish explorers in the 1780s along the Andean and coastal Chilean mountain region of South America. Since then, the […]
Vanishing Acts: Wollemi Pine
The Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) was considered extinct until it was discovered in a remote gorge of Australia’s Wollemi National Park in 1994. Considered by many as the most important botanical find of the century, the tree’s history dates back 200 million years when its family was widespread across the supercontinent of Gondwana. Surveys indicate […]
Become a Wintertime Tree Detective!
Winter is a great time to explore and identify trees at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest. Without leaves, deciduous trees can be tough to identify. However, with a little detective work one can identify trees by bark, seed pods, shape, leftover fruit, twigs, or bud arrangements. Using field guides, taking photos, and researching the internet […]