Learning different Trees

[josharb87]

use cuttings instead/aswell as pictures, for your cards.

write down the simple things that stand out for you-camoflage style bark on Platanus x hispanica was something that stuck out for me, as hints/clues on your revision cards

pay attention to the trees as the seasons change, keep updating yourself even on the obvious trees as the leaves drop off, dormancy, buds arrive, buds burst, full leaf, the more you pay attention to them through the seasons, the easier youll find it.

then try identifying the trees from just the bark, or the branch structure from a distance, if youre struggling, then look at the twigs, which youve already studied and hopefully learnt!

easiest way is to work in the tree-hours of being up close and personal with the one species!

[madm]

On your cards make a note of where there is one of that species growing near you; 1st tree on left inside park gate, tree in corner of car park, whatever. Like that you can pass by a few times during the year and start recognising the general shape, growth habit, colour of leaves in spring, autumn, flowers etc. It's good to be able to have a good idea of what a tree is from a distance, without having to go up to it and examine the leaves/buds etc

[mdvaden]

Hi guys im having abit of trouble, Im trying to get round an easyer way of learning the different trees and their latin names if i can learn the latin names too that will be a bonus.

 

Has anyone got a good way of learning and remembering the trees that we all see and maybe work one no and again.

 

The problem for me is that i dont work on the trees fulltime im only working for a mates b company on a weekend

So for me its harder as im not around trees all the time

 

Thanks

Gaz

 

Interesting - I don't remember if I used any tricks. All I remembe is that in college, we got about 15 new ones every week, and a review of each previous week's 15 the following week, prior to the next 15. Somehow I managed to remember them.

 

I vaguely remember sitting down for coffee or a beer with another student, quizzing each other.

 

Actually, I'm fairly decent on my tree ID, but I need CEUs for my arborist certification and also my Oregon landscape contractors license. So I'm going to repeat the deciduous trees and shrubs class at the local community college starting next week.

 

For me - I love the college environment. It's one reason I'm glad we moved back to north Oregon. Hopefully I can take one class every year or two, even into my 80s.

[kevwrenn]

there is a book available which explains botanical latin a bit, including a dictionary. cant remember the name at the mo, and i cant find my copy, but it is a small black book. quite interesting in places. I also used the word association method mentioned earlier with the Acer campestre example. after a while some become fairly easy to work out. i found it tricky to start, while at college. we had 10 each week through the two years of the course. many were repeated at different times of the year so we learnt to recognise them in all seasons. stick with it, you will get there in the end, even i did.

[vduben]

i wrote down all the common names and latin names for or the common trees and just kept reading them collecting leaves and always trying to identify them, after a few months i knew 80 different trees!!