Submitted by Jenna McGuire
Hi everyone, I am bringing back the Naturalists Notebook for kids off school from COVID-19. But don’t worry, adults can still read it too! We will try to focus on stuff everyone can see or try from your own backyard.
Let’s Look Closer at Twigs!
You may think all twigs look the same, like just another stick! But every tree and shrub has its own unique look, right down to the twig. Let’s look together at some of the ways we can tell our local trees apart by only their twigs! It is actually often easier to tell trees apart by twigs rather than by leaves, hard to believe but true! We are going to look only at “deciduous” trees today (trees that lose their leaves in the fall) because pines and spruces and cedars…well that is a whole other story!
First of all, we need to learn what all the parts of a twig are called. I know what you are thinking…”Sticks have parts?…come on…” but they really do!
Trees really know how to think ahead. They get ready for spring at the end of the summer before! So when you are getting ready to go back to school in September, the trees are already planning for April and May! That is why we can see “buds” all winter. Inside those buds are tightly folded and packed up leaves. When spring comes and the shell of the bud opens that leaf gets inflated with water like an air mattress, and stretches and grows out to its full shape.
Below are some common local twigs and their differences. What do twigs in your backyard look like? Sometimes drawing them helps you notice the details. Try drawing one and finding the different parts like shown in the drawing above.
