Winter Barks

[Toddy]

On the walk down the castle woodlands this morning I took loads of photographs of the texture of the different tree barks.
For some reason I find the shapes, the grains, the colours and textures fascinating.

I freely admit I'm not good at identification of many of them, but I'd love to learn to be more confident about it. Bark ID is acknowledged to be an excellent method of tree recognition, though I'm told that bud tips should be included. Nothing is budding here just now, and most of the tree branches were way too high up for me to get any shots of them.

What do you think ?

Number one.

Number one, closer shot.

Number two.

Number two, closer shot.

Number three.

Number four, showing clearly why our bark isn't as useful as the continental, European or American, varieties.

Number five. Anyone know what this bright orange is ? It's on lots of trees around here. It really is *orange* too. Stands out like bright rust.

Number six, showing that bright orange stuff again.

This is another number two, but look at the huge burr/ egg/ whatjamacallit, high up on the right. These carve beautifully and they just knock off the trees.

Number two, a different tree, there's something about the bark that really caught my attention today

Number seven, and it's Scot's Pine, but what is the little fungus ? It's white with frost just now but it's a tiny bracket.

Number eight.

Number nine, sorry, no close up, but the shape is distinctive.



HWMBLT takes no blame for this set folks, any criticism for the photography should be directed at me

cheers,
Toddy

 

[porchini]

Great stuff . I love tree bark always find the diversity of marks and patterns fascinating I seem to of amassed a large collection of close up photographs from everywhere I go countryside or city!

 

[Toddy]

Great stuff . I love tree bark always find the diversity of marks and patterns fascinating I seem to of amassed a large collection of close up photographs from everywhere I go countryside or city!

Oh me too
I look at the wonderful complexity of them and would love to manage to achieve that subtle camouflage in a cloth. HWMBLT says that I sort of can but it would still be horrendously expensive. I can dye the colours, but I haven't managed the design and colour match yet.

cheers,
M

 

[rancid badger]

1st photo looks like a nice ash to me. ( bows,staffs,paddles etc etc)


2nd tree, cant see 1st photo, but the pic I can see appears to be a conifer, not really sure to be honest

No.3; I'd say is a younger ash with good potential for bark container making.

No.4 ;a silver birch

No. 5; another birch and we have numerous tree's here, with the same orange stuff.

No.6; I think is probably a downy birch?

No.7;thats a fungus that is

No.8 ;a bit odd looking but I reckon its a Wych elm

and No.9 looks like an elder.

hows that?

Oh and a happy new year

atb

R.B.

 

[Toddy]

Fixed the order and the img tags.

Thanks RB

I don't know what No2 with the conifer like bark is.
I thought No8 was a Poplar.

cheers,
M

 

[Mesquite]

Going on the extra picture, the trunk with the burl on it looks like horse chesnut

 

[Toddy]

There's certainly a lot of horse chestnut down there. There are a couple of edible ones too, but the nuts never fill out properly.
Lot of Sycamore around as well.

cheers,
M

 

[brancho]

THIS is agreat resource for tree ID in winter as a basic start with common trees.

 

[dwardo]

I would go for a poplar for number 8. Number 9 maybe goat willow ?

 

[Toddy]

I reckoned No9 was a willow too. Goat ? I only know that that's the kind of shape I go looking for when I'm looking for Willow, whether that one is Goat WIllow or not
It's snowing heavily here again, if I get out later I'll wander along and have a looksee, prise off a bit of bark and have a taste.

cheers,
M

 

[Peter_t]

1. ash

2. horse chestnut

3. ash again

4. silver birch

5. silver birch (the orange stuff is most probably algy)

6. young siver birch or more likely downy birch

7. i dont know that many fungi lol

8. some type of poplar/aspen

9. feild maple


if im wrong i should know better (tree surgeon) haha

pete

 

[Peter_t]

I reckoned No9 was a willow too. Goat ? I only know that that's the kind of shape I go looking for when I'm looking for Willow, whether that one is Goat WIllow or not
It's snowing heavily here again, if I get out later I'll wander along and have a looksee, prise off a bit of bark and have a taste.

look at the buds, if they are opersit im 100% that it is feild maple, if not it prob is willow

pete

 

[_scorpio_]

look later in the year to see if it has elder berries. i would say its an elder, we have one in the garden, it is fairly nice to carve and has a lovely textured bark.

 

[Peter_t]

woops just remembered that elder has opersit buds too. if the buds are purple its elder

pete

 

[nevetsjc80]

I would go for a poplar for number 8. Number 9 maybe goat willow ?

Correct!!

 

[xylaria]

for the orange algae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trentepohlia

i don't know which species.

 

[Toddy]

Excellent
Thank you for the link and that explains why I get bright orangey yellows from those barks, they're full of carotene.

Hope the New Year is all you would wish it to be,

atb,
Mary

 

[bushcraftbob]

Great post, I went for a walk today, and realised I cant recongnise half the trees without leaves on!