Bark

I’ve focused my first efforts at tree identification on bark and other cues that tend not to vary with the season. As Michael Wojtech points out, bark can seem like a “blur of textured browns and greys" — apart from the few obvious exceptions such as white birch — but the patterns start to emerge with study. I highly recommend Wojtech’s book. as well as his website, Know Your Trees.

This site serves as a documentation of the varieties of bark whose signatures are becoming clear to me. By sticking to original photos taken at Wadsworth Falls State Park (Middletown and Middlefield, CT), I hope to give other visitors some confidence in identifying these particular species in this particular place, and noting other species that may be missing from this informal catalogue. Meanwhile, I’ll find an occasional excuse to include photos of other features of the landscape and ecological community of the area.

I am a local enthusiast, not an expert. Please feel free to offer your own thoughts about species identification and other details!

Meanwhile, feel free to peruse all the posts tagged "bark."