Wild Side: Bare bones show in winterIt's often hard to see the
forest for the trees in the summer. The shapes of the trees,
shrubs and ground vegetation are hidden by the profusion of
foliage. By: Dan Wilcox, outdoor columnist, River Falls Journal
It's often hard to see the forest for the trees in the summer.
The shapes of the trees, shrubs and ground vegetation are hidden
by the profusion of foliage. It's very different in winter. The
dark forms of trees and shrubs stand in sharp contrast with the
snow. One of my favorite winter pastimes is observing the
geometry of trees. Each species has its own characteristic range
in size and geometry of stems and branches. In winter, deciduous
plants are stripped down to their bare bones and it's easy to
see their shapes. The color and texture of bark and the form of
twigs are additional characteristics to observe for identifying
tree species. This time of year I often think of trees and
shrubs as skeletons, because that's what they resemble in
winter. They are strong c