It's about trees, I think

 A while ago I read a book that mention the interesting but odd tree or bush if you called Witch Hazel. So I started paying attention to the local trees and bushes on my walks around our gravel roads.

For the life of me I ran across one particular bush or small tree that I could not Identify. It confused me to no end. I looked up Witch Hazel as I was pretty sure that this odd plant had to be it.

I was sure until I was hiking at KVR and spotted a real Witch Hazel bush!

Those strange looking flowers gave it away. It was alongside the trail  crowded with every other imaginable plant.

Now that I know where I can find them, I will have to make sure to go back when the leaves fall and take another shot of them. 
The idea of them being so odd makes them something I'd love to have in my yard.

The other bush or small tree that I thought was the Witch Hazel was obviously not one. However I finally nailed it. No book showed it the way I was seeing it. And what plants have catkins in the fall? 

I used that to start my search and I found this to be

A Hazelnut Tree or Bush...

August photo:

Two weeks later:

I must say they really are kind of pretty. 

I've counted about 4 of these alongside one part of the gravel road. Again they are sort of hidden amongst many other trees and bushes. But I found them exotic in a way. 
They are obviously much different than oaks and maples which also line this road along with dogwoods.

And then finally on my walk Tuesday morning:

Apparently the catkins stay there all winter. They are the male part of the bush/plant and flowers will appear on the ends of the female branches come spring.

Nuts will appear in the late summer and if a person likes Hazelnuts, they have to get to them before the birds and other wild creatures do.

I know I will walk up there during one of the first frosts or snows and see if I can't get the catkins covered in white!

Another favorite of mine, Bittersweet in August:

Bittersweet October 5th:

The berries will disappear over winter.

The Dogwood in August looked like this:

Now? Just barren branches with no leaves.

I think I may have identified a pin cherry. But I am not sure quite yet. I need to do a bit more research.

I'm starting to recognize the trees and brush. This was something I never really paid attention to before. But what the heck. Learning is fun.

Kicking my butt and road walking

I had my first Shingles vaccine shot and it kicked my butt for about 12 hours. I mean it kicked like a mule. 

By mid afternoon I felt somewhat human and my headache was going away. I grabbed Charlie and decided it was a nice day for a walk on the back roads. It gave me a chance to look at what I suspected was the Witch Hazel tree/bush and see if any trees on our ridge were turning colors.

When we switched from our township to Kickapoo township, there was more gravel on the road and Charlie seemed like his feet bothered him. We stopped for a few breaks along the way so he could get a drink of water. I carried him through the worst of the sharp gravel. 

It was nice though to walk on the ridge and then down into the valley. We are densely forested here so I don't often get to see wide open spaces unless I am driving somewhere.

These two shots are about a mile from our place. There is a tree line on the horizon in the above shot. That is where our dead end road stops. I walk there often in the summer to watch the sun come up.

I was happy they planted soybeans this year, I don't have to stand on a ladder to see the horizon!

The nasty dog came charging out on Charlie and I. I had picked Charlie up and sprayed the gravel road between us and the dog with pepper spray. Nasty Dog turned and ran back home. I hope the dog relates anyone walking by to that nasty horrid smell. Time will tell. Note, I did not spray the dog, I sprayed the gravel between us...

Other than that, our walk was relaxed and pretty nice. I brought my tree book and took some time looking at different trees.

I'm pretty darned sure that this is Witch Hazel! I found two of them!

This one is...I don't know.

More Bittersweet. I found three more places this was growing.

Wild Grapes. Wow have those nasty Beetles done a job on them.

The black walnut trees were literally bending over with walnuts as were the Bitternut Hickory trees. The apple trees were nearly barren and the Box Elders were yellowing and looking old and worn out.

I actually didn't take photos of trees I guess. It looks like I took photos of bushes that were interesting.

When we got down near the Black Bottom creek bridge we turned around. Down in one of the steep areas off Riley road, we heard a coyote barking. Pretty haunting. 

I fell in love with the rocks and ferns as we trudged back uphill to the ridge.

Our walk was long, it took us nearly two hours. The up and down hill portion of the walk is an elevation change of 200 feet each way. I knew it was steep but had no idea as I'd always driven it. If you fall off the road on one side there is a 50 foot drop to the bottom of a gully.

So I do avoid this road on snowy and icy days. But it is a beautiful walk.

Charlie was worn out when we got home and as I packed my backpack this morning he is giving me the stare with wide eyes. 

Finding the Witch Hazel Tree

I am surrounded by trees. There are pines, oaks, maples, honey locust tree, and dead ash trees. I have a few favorite types of trees.

I love the wild apple trees in the meadow, especially in the spring. Their blossoms and fill the air with a heavenly scent.

The Hawthorne tree is still one of my favorites. Yes, it has thorns, and in the spring, it has the most interesting flowers. In the fall, the leaves can be all hues of orange, brown, and rust colors.

Most noticeable are the maples and the oaks of course. 

Most of these trees are very easy to identify.

This spring I started to PAY attention to some of the trees or very large shrubs that grow along our road. Last winter I found bittersweet fruit while taking photos of the incredible frost formations on the ridge.

I've cut twisted vines from this section of the woods to use in craft projects and decorations for my Christmas tree but I'd never give much thought to the plant itself.

I thought it would be fun to try and see if I could follow this bush through the year.

In May it blossomed, but I was not even sure if it was the bittersweet.

[I finally got it ID'd just a week or so ago as a bittersweet blossom.]

There is no denying the ID of the plant once it starts to develop its telltale orange fruit.

Here is a tree/bush that I didn't even know we had. I was at my son's in Kenosha in June and fell in love with a couple of beautiful bushes he had. 

So I have been watching this bush/tree all summer. Here is what it looked like in May----->

I labeled this photo. I don't know.

Sunday morning I took this photo and decided to try identifying this. It was so pretty!

Yes! A Dogwood! Identified as probably a Grey Dogwood. I did a bit of a happy dance when I figured it out. The berries will disappear quickly I guess as the birds love it.
About a mile down the gravel road there are about 10 to 15 of these! 

We all know what an oak looks like but here is a spring photo of the leaves coming out.

I included the next photo because of the beautiful Monarch that was resting in the cool air of the morning. I was so please to have the super duper long lens with me, I didn't have to disturb the Monarch.

I understand that there are 12 different species of Dogwood trees. Some have red fruit and some have purple fruit.
I will be keeping an eye on this hedgerow of trees and bushes. 

The one below is a chokecherry tree, this was full of Orioles during their nesting time.
We used to make chokecherry jelly and grandma used to use chokecherry juice with gelatin to make her own home made jello. 

This is an Elderberry tree. They are hard to control when they grow in pastures. Though apparently you can make jelly out of the berries and they have some sort of medicinal properties too.

Hickory Bitternut. I think. I have a Shagbark Hickory in our yard. 

I was really searching high and low for Witch Hazel. I was sure some were growing around this area. After 3 days of looking, I grabbed this cell phone photo of what could be a Witch Hazel. 
Time will tell because this tree flowers in November!

I am going to go back and see if I can find it again. I certainly would not want to miss the interesting flowers this tree puts out so late in the year. I'd post a photo of the bright interesting flowers, but I don't want to 'grab' and use someone else's photo. 

You can see Witch Hazel flowers here:

US Forestry site

Trees other than the common ones have always been a mystery to me. So this is one more item I am trying to learn about.