I'm a bit of a tree hugger. I became fascinated by trees a few years back when a logging company was interested in a wooded area on our farm. I went ahead and took the time to figure out what kind of trees were in the forest, and how much the timber was worth for each tree.
I became very intrigued with the different kinds of wood, varieties, and variations in each tree. Each wooded area is somewhat different in what flora and fauna it has. It's really pretty boring compared to a good movie, teen mom, or an all night drug rave (not that I would know about any of these things). Yet the trees intrigued me non the less.
Maple trees are in abundance in Ohio. I knew what a Maple tree was. I didn't realize there were at least 7 or 8 distinctly different kinds of Maples that grow naturally in Ohio. Oak trees are also abundant. Once again, I didn't realize there were multiple kinds of the species that grew in the state. Much of it depends on elevation and soil type.
Some trees grew naturally in the state, some species were introduced by settlers and grow naturally now. There are only 125 or so species that grow naturally in the state.
Fun facts about trees. Trees with needles are conifers, trees with leaves deciduous (welcome back to elementary school). Bald cypress trees are some of the oldest living trees. They can live to be over 500 years old in Ohio, and over 1,000 years old in southern states. Most other species of trees live a much shorter life (100-200 years for most). Some trees grow faster than others. Most “softwoods” (trees with softer wood) grow rapidly. Most “hardwoods” (yes, trees with hard wood) grow slowly. Eastern White Pines, Cottonwoods, and Sycamores are usually some of the largest in the state. Some can reach heights over 125 feet.
The biggest trees are out west of course (in lovely California). Giant Sequoias and Redwoods can reach heights of over 300 feet. I suggest you google it sometime, and definitely check it out if you happen to be in California (shake it Cali).
I live in a wooded area in my developement and we have so many oaks and sycamores! i've loved the woods and the trees since before i can rememmber and i still love to go back there
ReplyDeleteTrees are awesome ! This despite the poison ivy they often have nearby.
ReplyDeleteIs it nerdy that I knew all of your fun facts about trees? I don't even mind if it is.
ReplyDeleteI think it's cool you know all the fun facts. Not many people care enough to appreciate them !
ReplyDeleteBeing a tree hugger gets you poison ivy on your face
ReplyDeletei "like" what aly said.
ReplyDeleteIndia, I think it's spectacular that you know all the fun facts about trees. I think I said that already on the day of the blogger crash. Some of my Lady Gaga comments got wiped off the slate too. I was pissed. There's poison ivy on my tummy as well as the face. It's almost gone now. I'm still emotional about it, it's messing up my freckles. I'm happy nurse Aly reminded me calamine lotion existed.
ReplyDeleteEven though I've always been obsessed with trees, I think the obsession grew even greater through high school. I always had the bio teachers that would give extra credit if we literally hugged a tree during fire drills and made us make leaf profiles during the fall. They're so beautiful.
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