Published by Daniel Mosquin on March 1, 2018
It’s that time of year when buds are starting to break their winter dormancy. In December 2014, Daniel and I went for a walk through the Carolinian Forest at UBC Botanical Garden to investigate and photograph buds. We found lots of them! I’ve chosen a few of the photos we’ve taken to highlight some interesting […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on January 16, 2018
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of guest-instructing UBC’s Horticulture Training Program students on a winter twig identification walkabout. For our last species on the list, I couldn’t remember whether we were to look at Quercus robur (common oak or English oak) or Quercus rubra (red oak). We eventually sorted out my forgetfulness (it was the […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on September 12, 2017
Canyon oak, Quercus chrysolepis, is the most widely-distributed oak species in California, with its range extending beyond California into southwest Oregon, Arizona, northern Mexico, and (barely) Nevada.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on February 27, 2017
Castanea mollissima, or the Chinese chestnut, is a medium-sized deciduous tree belonging to the Fagaceae. It has an open, rounded crown and typically reaches heights of up to 25m tall. The furrowed bark is grey to light-brown in colour. Its pinnately-veined leaves are simple and elliptic-oblong to oblong-lanceolate. They also have coarsely-serrated margins. The name […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on September 17, 2007
As noted by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s Native Plant Database, Quercus agrifolia is “… the common oak of the California coast and foothills, forming parklike groves that often appear in the scenery of motion pictures made in Hollywood”.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on May 22, 2007
The American beech can be found throughout the forests of eastern North American among sugar maple (Acer saccharum), red maple (Acer rubrum), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) and American basswood (Tilia americana). Together, they create a stunning fall colour display, characteristic of the eastern deciduous forests. The American beech’s stark, light grey bark and buttressing base […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on October 18, 2006
Fred, the contributor of today’s photographs, notes: This is an impression of Castanea sativa (German: Esskastanie – “ess” meaning “eat”) which can be found in large quantities at this time of year in the forests of southern Germany … They look great and taste really well baked or roasted!
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