Those That are Opposite Tend to Be MAD, Honey- Part 2

Hey! Did you look at some tree branches today? I know that a few people did. Here comes the first disclaimer (I'm famous for disclaimers). My little phrase may not work in all parts of the world. It's a pretty safe bet in North America, but those of you on other continents can probably teach me a thing or two here.

Today's branch is the Honeysuckle. All members of the honeysuckle family, and there are lots, have opposite branches. You can really see the opposite leaves in the honeysuckle I showed you this fall. (See link at end)

This shrub is the Tatarian honeysuckle, considered a major invasive species. It was brought to America in the 1700's, and it has taken over most of the state of Ohio (I'm only half joking), and a lot of the rest of the country. I can't seem to find any pictures I've taken of the flowers, although they are rather pretty. I guess I was off hiking when it bloomed last spring.



Here you can see its bark, and also in this picture it's easy to see that it's a shrub... multiple stems, and the overall plant never gets as tall as a tree.

Now, here's your assignment. Look at another tree today, not the same one as yesterday. Just look at the branches and then at the bark. Was it alternate or opposite. Was the bark rough or smooth, brown or gray, did it have ridges up and down, or around and around? Was it the same or different from the tree you looked at yesterday? Tell me what you found in a comment!

See Two Trumpets, Different Tunes

Those That are Opposite Tend to Be MAD, Honey- Part 1

Winter is a great time to study the structure of trees. Have you ever noticed how the branches grow on certain plants or trees? Sometimes the branches come out from the main stem right across from each other, which is called "opposite." More often they are staggered along the stem, which is called "Alternating."

There are so few trees with opposite branches that it's much easier to remember these few, and then the rest are alternate. Like so many other lists of things, there are mnemonics to help you remember them. Mine is "Those that are opposite tend to Be MAD, Honey." This gets me B for Buckeye, M for Maple, A for Ash, D for Dogwood, and Honey for Honeysuckle.

Over the next few days, I'll show you these tree's branches and their bark. Today's tree is the green ash or Fraxinus pennsylvanica. It's the tree that is being cut by the thousands to try to stop the spread of the emerald ash borer, a horrible insect that came from Asia, and has no natural controls here. Almost all ash trees in SE Michigan are dead, and it has moved into west Michigan. We don't have too many right where I live yet... but that's another topic. Note in the picture above that the branches are opposite.

Look at a tree tomorrow while you are outside. Any tree. Just look to see if it has opposite branches like this or alternating ones. Then look at the bark. Does it look like the next picture?



Probably not, since there are other choices. But it might! If so, you are probably looking at a green ash. Notice the long vertical diamond patterns made when the bark breaks into ridges. That is the important thing to watch for on ash. Why not tell me if you saw an opposite or alternate branched tree today?

Did you get yesterday's quiz? I put the answer as the first comment, but I'll put it here too. It was a white-tail deer pawing through the snow to find some grass to graze on. Sometimes you will find similar places where they have laid down, but not in the open, and not so roughed up. That says "pawing." Hope you got it!

See Fun with the Treeweenie

Who Was Playing Here?

Here's just a little fun game, and you don't even have to wait till tomorrow for the answer. Near the back of the property today there was this spot in the snow that has been roughed up. Do you know who did this? Here's a clue.



Now you can begin to see who recently walked into that space. Here's a longer shot with some tracks. Do you have it figured out yet?

OK, here's your last clue. This is one of the prints that you should know really well by now. Do you know why the spot is roughed up?

I'll put the answers in the comment section. This quiz should be a piece of cake if you follow this blog. No preposterousness today; just ask Ratty (wink).
Oh, hey! If you want to vote for my cool Mom, go to Chuck's "My Cool Mama" contest at Secondary Roads before Wednesday 7 pm EST.

See Tracking with Some Help From Maggie See A Veteran's Day Story for more about "my cool mom"

Writing Jan 17-19

In the past three days I've written one article on Associated Content, 3 at Shared Reviews, and 2 at Textbroker.

Textbroker has two payout dates a month, and I'll be getting $131.04. Whew!

The Fog is Lifting

 


I was home from the paper route long before I took this picture (with my old point & shoot that I charged up). Couldn't really tell what it would look like till I put it on the computer, but I like how the trees just seem to float. I didn't touch up a thing!

Now, I don't know if EVERY cloud has a silver lining, but this one did-



And I seem to have two very nice pieces of news. Om got cleared for takeoff, er... driving! I tried to sound concerned when I patted him on the shoulder and told him that I hope that he doesn't overdo it taking over the paper route again. But I didn't pull it off very well. I'm simply delighted to give that job back to him!

And the other good news is that after several phone calls and authorization to return my good camera for repair, it may be as simple as a bad battery. I did switch them out right away, but apparently the ones that I thought were charged might not have been. Anyway... right now the camera is working, and it's still under manufacturer's warranty for another 6 weeks, so I have some time to be sure that it's ok. I got suspicious when I got a different error message from the one I was getting yesterday.

See Fog and Frost See Another Surprise from the Jack Pine