Watching Trees Bud

Posted by Violet Snow Apr 19, 2007

The new leaves couldn’t have just jumped out; there must have been some process that I missed. I always felt cheated and somehow remiss in failing to observe their birth.

Then I began to get to know the trees and learned to identify them. I discovered that trees are difficult to identify in winter, but that knowing the buds is quite helpful, since each species has its own style of bud. I was studying the buds that year when spring arrived, and I got to watch the transformation of bud into leaf and flower. Finally, I saw the birth process!

There may still be snow on the ground where you live, but if the days are lengthening, it’s not too early to start watching the buds. The first sign of budding is the parting of the tips of the bud scales. New colors appear, hints of the leaves and blossoms to come. Some trees put out flowers first; others start with leaves.

Some trees have huge buds, like magnolias, whose fuzzy scales house the embryos of large, fragrant flowers. Horse chestnuts have large, sticky buds accommodating compound, palmate leaves and many-branched flower clusters. Shagbark hickory buds push out young tissues, covered with silky tan hairs, between the protective scales, which curl like lips as they dry out.

The variety is staggering, and observation yields many surprises. For entertainment in spring, you need only step outside. Unless you live in the desert, on a prairie, or on a houseboat, there are trees everywhere. Even in the city, trees bud on every block in the spring. Take a look!

For descriptions of other buds, see the article Trees are Budding.