Yellow birch, home

One of these days, I keep telling myself, I am going to learn my trees, and though those days seem to come and go without any real increase in dendrological knowledge, well, today, I thought, would be different. Because I had a 1,200 word weekly column to create—the always-Monday task—I didn't have a lot of time to get outside, and, I had to admit, it was fiercely cold and very windy, so the conditions weren't exactly conducive to simply playing hooky. But after I'd completed the day's task, I opted for at least a quick tromp in the late-afternoon sunshine to check for tracks and just enjoy the fresh and freezing air. The snow from our two recent storms was about a foot deep and, after the rain spell that, alas, accompanied yesterday's blow, crunchy underfoot. Rising out of the white was this golden tree root, its bark exfoliating in thin strips. I knew it was a birch, and I was pretty sure it was either a Black or a Yellow. Rather than leave it there, I took plenty of pictures then, back at home, settled down with my collection of tree guides to actually learn the difference. Better late than never: the peeling bark tells me it's a Yellow Birch—Betula alleghaniensis. Next trip out, I need to check its twigs, and later, its leaves, and continue the much overdue learning process.