Twig Study and A Book Review

Can you identify a tree by its twigs? We now can tell you a few. Our knowledge of trees is expanding yet again.

After reviewing the Tree Study section in the Handbook of Nature Study, we went to gather some twigs from the trees behind our house…twigs from a cottonwood, an osage-orange (hedge), red oak, and a locust. Looking at each twig individually, we searched for buds, the leaf scars (place where last year’s leaves had been) and scales that were covering the buds yet to appear. The cottonwood and the red oak were both showing buds, while the osage-orange and the locust didn’t seem to be budding yet.  It did make us wonder if the twigs we had chosen were actually dead 🙂 We will keep watch on those trees throughout the next few months to be sure.

Studying twigs. Who knew twigs could be so fascinating and lead to such deep teachable moments? We observed that the nasty, mean looking thorns on a locust tree are very carefully situated right next to the bud as if to protect the leaves and allow them to grow. These thorns then led to a discussion about how painful and sharp the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when he went to the cross.  We couldn’t imagine how painful that could have been. The thorns worn as a crown were meant to mock Him, but by His grace He bore those thorns on our behalf and was victorious! The connections made during this study left an imprint, literally, and we will always be able to identify a locust tree from any other tree whether it has leaves on it or not.

We sketched our twigs in our nature journals and labeled the parts we had learned.

Johnny Chuck and Old Man Coyote sketch a red oak and a locust.

Jolly Little Sunbeam draws a cottonwood twig.

Old Mother West Wind compares a locust and a cottonwood twig.

As you know from our previous posts, we are redtail hawk fans here on the prairie. We  have just recently come upon a wonderful book, Rufous Redtail by Helen Garrett. It is about a young red-tailed hawk who is sure he knows everything about the world as soon as he hatches from his egg. His adventures of becoming an adult hawk and how to survive in the world are told beautifully.  You will learn about the life of a hawk and become attached to Rufous Redtail.  This book, written in 1947, is out of print but we interlibrary loaned it. I can’t remember how I found the title to give them credit, but it is absolutely FANTASTIC!  If you find it somewhere on a dusty bookshelf or in a rummage sale, buy it immediately and relish every wonderful word. And if you find two copies, don’t forget to call me!