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DCNR Good Natured Blog: Looking Up - Spring Tree Flowers

We all have our favorite signs of spring -- returning of migratory birds, spring peepers, warmer weather, gentle rains, and wildflowers.

Some of our favorites are searching out the first wildflowers of the season, specifically skunk cabbage, followed by spring ephemerals and tree flowers.

Looking up into the trees can provide you a different perspective and new spring wildflowers to add to your list.

Many native tree flowers like flowering dogwood, redbud, and shadbush (serviceberry) are large, fragrant, and showy -- easily catching attention whether planted or naturally occurring in woodlands.

But there are many other colors and shapes of tree flowers to discover before the leaves emerge.

Red Maples

Look up to see red maple flowers (some of the earliest blooms), appearing before leaves and rather tiny (1/4 inch); but when they bloom in unison, the trees glow red.

Up close, you will see male and female flowers appearing either on separate branches of the same tree or on separate trees.

The flowers have five petals and five sepals, but males will have five to 10 long stamens and females will have two bright red pistils.

Ash Trees

Another example of tree flowers that are either male or female are the ash species in the genus Fraxinus. In Pennsylvania, this includes white, green, and black ash.

Individual trees have all female or all male flowers. Flowers of both sexes are small, do not have petals, and grow in clusters.

The most obvious structure you will see are the numerous stamens on males and single pistils on female flowers.

If you miss these flowers in the spring, check for the “canoe paddle-like” fruits or samaras in the summer -- these are the female trees.

Tree Flowers Without Petals

In many tree species, flowers are also arranged in catkins or aments, which are drooping clusters of tiny flowers without petals.

These worm-like structures contain all male or all female flowers.

The structures of catkin flowers differ by tree species; however, numerous stamens give male catkins a showier appearance.

Common native tree species in Pennsylvania that produce catkins include: Willows; Poplars; Birches; Oaks; Alders; Walnuts; and Hickories.

In the spring, before we see them, we may feel the effect of wind-borne pollen from male catkins, in the form of allergies. Look up -- you may just see catkins dangling in the wind.

Look Up Next Time You Are Outdoors

Getting outside this time of year is important and whether you are hiking, walking, or gardening; don’t forget to look up!

There is a whole new level of spring wildflowers waiting to be discovered.

For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website, Click Here to sign up for the Resource newsletter, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog, Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

(Photo: Red Maples- female; Ash Tree - Male. Click Here for more photos.)

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Pollinator/Native Plant Resources

There are lots of resources available to help property owners landscape with native plants, and now is the best time to start planning for Spring projects. Here are just a few of the resources available--

-- DCNR Landscaping With Native Plants

-- Game Commission: Common Beneficial Plants Found In Wildlife Habitat

-- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Native Plants For Wildlife Habitat And Conservation Landscaping

-- Chesapeake Bay Sustainable Landscape Professional Directory

-- Brandywine Conservancy: Forested Riparian Buffer Planting Guide

-- Audubon PA: Bird Habitat Recognition Program

-- National Audubon: Native Plants Database

-- Xerces Society For Invertebrate Conservation

-- Gardening For Butterflies: Penn State Extension

-- Planting For Pollinators: Penn State Extension

-- Penn State Extension Master Gardeners

-- Center For Pollinator Research, Penn State