MM Tree Walk

More Information to Come!

1. Swamp White Oak - Quercus bicolor

The Swamp White Oak is a medium-sized North American deciduous tree in the beech family, typically growing 60–80 feet tall with trunks up to 3 feet wide and a broad, irregular crown. In Illinois, it thrives in central and northwestern lowland forests with wet soils. Its 4–7 inch leaves grow alternately and feature rounded lobes and large teeth, appearing dark green and glossy above with pale, slightly hairy undersides. Fall color ranges from brown and yellow-brown to reddish tones. In spring, separate yellow-green male and female catkins bloom on the same tree shortly after leaves emerge. Bark starts light brown or gray, later darkening into flaky, fissured plates. Its long, pale brown acorns have fringed caps covering about one-third of the nut; the sweet acorns provide valuable nutrition for wildlife. The hard, heavy wood serves for fuel and cabinetry, while the Iroquois traditionally used the tree medicinally to treat cholera, broken bones, and tuberculosis.

2. Blue Spruce -Picea pungens
(More coming soon!)