Common Trees of the Laurel Fork Watershed

 Part of the reason for my trip to find a portion of the actual watershed I could access was so I could identify some of the common tree types I would see in this environment. The list is neat, since the watershed starts over 3,000' feet up on Buffalo Mountain and trickles its way down to the pastures and farmland below. I also wanted to make sure that I could capture some of the tree pictures prior to the leaves falling off the trees. I have created a slideshow showing the most common types of trees in this watershed starting up high on the mountain and making its way down to the bottom. There are a few additional trees I photographed but since the pictures were not the prettiest (it had been hot and dry without rain for a while so the tree leaves looked kind of sick) I left them out of the slides but I will post them here!

First, here is the slideshow with my list of common trees: Common Trees of the Laurel Fork Watershed

                                                             Photo by Chris Tysor- Fox grape

I wasn't sure about this particular plant but after some closer inspection, I found it was a grape vine! It is a "skinless" grape and is native to the US. It is toxic to dogs and cats, but it is a perennial and apparently the right growing conditions exist for it in the watershed! I did not see any clustered fruit on the vine although the "harvest time" would have been a while ago. Also, it was tangled around other foliage and I did see some small, green berry-like fruit but wasn't sure if it was actually on this vine or on the foliage underneath. (Information provided from "PictureThis" plant app identifier.)

                                                       Photo by Chris Tysor - Hazel alder

I am sure I have seen alder trees before, but I had difficulty initially identifying this species. Again, it was difficult to get to for a closer look so this was the only decent photo I was able to get. It turns out this tree is a wonderful butterfly "nursery" and an important component of wetlands. Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars get essential nutrients from this tree and cocoon as well as emerge. This plant also has the ability to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by itself and surrounding ecosystem components which facilitates its survival and its important contributions to wetland habitats. (Information provided from "PictureThis" plant app identifier.)

                                                      Photo by Chris Tysor - Black cherry

This black cherry tree was again, difficult to get to due to the other underbrush and plants along the bank. This is a fast growing, deciduous tree that is highly prized for its strong reddish-brown wood used in fine cabinetry and furniture. It also supports native pollinators and provides essential food for birds. For humans, the fruit is edible but not seeds or leaves- apparently this tree is a producer of cyanide precursors that create cyanide gas when tit hits stomach acid. It will lead to death! (Information from Google Search of Black Cherry).

We have finally had a day or two of rain. I plan to go back to the watershed and try to identify and photograph additional foliage before the leaves fall from the trees!