It could also be Bigtooth Aspen, Populus grandidentata.  I have found them
to be more common in river bottoms and floodplains than Quaking aspen here
in the East.  My tree guides show both to be at the southern limit of their
range in the Piedmont, and nearly so in the ridge & valley.

oops - botany AND geology on a bird listserv...


***********************
Frank Boyle
Laurel & Rohrersville, MD

***********************



-----Original Message-----
From: Maryland Birds & Birding [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Bell, James
Sent: Friday, October 22, 2004 9:40 AM
To: 
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Aspen, Birch & Cottonwood

Quaking Aspen and Birch look similar but very different from Cottonwood.
Well, at least the bark. That's probably the easiest way to differentiate
between them. Birch and Aspen have white bark. At the base of an Aspen,
there will be vertical striations in the bark that may extend upward several
feet, depending on the age of the tree. Cottonwood bark is dark gray and
looks a lot more like an oak than the fine white paper of Birch or Aspen.
See the URL below for a nice photo of Cottonwood bark.

http://www.bluewillowpages.com/mushroomexpert/morels/trees_cottonwood.html

One thing that we found intriguing about Cottonwoods, at least the Plains
Cottonwoods they have in North Dakota, is that if you cut a small branch
with a diameter of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, there is a star pattern at the
center. Pretty cool. I wonder if Eastern Cottonwoods have a similar feature.

There's something about the leaf attachment of Quaking Aspen that makes the
leaves flip back and forth in even a slight breeze. Birch leaves seem to
attach more firmly to the branch and don't wave.

As for birds, I haven't had much time to get out lately. But, I did see a
relatively late OSPREY flying over the Solomons Bridge on Wednesday. They're
so common in the summer that you don't realize how much you miss them until
you see one out of season or in March when they finally return!

Tyler Bell

California MD

-----Original Message-----
From: 
[mailto:Gate.G.MDOSPREY@HOME.EASE..LSOFT.COM]
Sent: Fri 10/22/2004 9:14 AM
To: ; 
Cc:
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Blue Mash Nature Trail - Corrected



Rick - I'm not ID savvy with trees but my field guide points to Quaking
Aspen and not a cottonwood tree. I'll give the tree a closer look the next
time I'm at BMNT. - Tom


Tom,
    Please post your final decision on the tree. I agree with you that it
could be Quaking Aspen. There are a few of them around. This isn't really
their climate, etc. but trees somehow find a way to survive where they
shouldn't. How else can we explain things like larch at Jug Bay.
    Jerry