After drawing Tree Shapes, Leaves, Fruits and Shoots, I have put all these characteristics of the most common foliage trees into a single identification chart, which is helpful to get to know the tree species and identify them over all the seasons. The identification chart is available at Posterlounge (also via eBay!), Redbubble und Søciety6!
With this identification chart, field guide or infographic, shape or silhouette, leaves or leaf shapes,fruit, nut, acorn plus seed as well as buds and shoots of European foliage, broadleaf or deciduous trees such as Alder, Ash, Beech, Birch, Buckeye, Hazel, Hornbeam, Lime, Maple, Oak, Poplar and Willow can easily be identified, memorized and learnt.
How I work
To make it easier to identify the most common trees based on different characteristics throughout the year, I put together this chart from the contents of older charts, namely: (1) Native Tree Shapes, (2) Native Tree Leaves, (3) Native Tree Fruits, and (4) Native Tree Shoots, which you can view individually by clicking on the respective links!
This print goes with my series of Natural Science Identification Charts with flora and fauna, in German and English, which are also available from the Posterlounge (Amazon / eBay) in plenty of sizes, from € 6,95 for 13×18. ➔
In addition, most of my guides are also available as postcards, greeting cards or small-format art prints, as well as printed products such as shirts, mugs, cushions, carpets, mats, towels, blankets, curtains, notebooks, tablets, wrapping paper, stickers, magnets, sleeves, cases, skins, bags and much more, at Redbubble [EU/US] and Søciety6 [US]! ➔
Direct links to the respective product pages of this chart: Posterlounge Laubbäume (DE) ➔, Posterlounge Foliage Trees (EN) ➔, Redbubble Laubbäume (DE) ➔, Redbubble Foliage Trees (EN) ➔, Søciety6 Foliage Trees (EN) ➔.
References
Meanwhile, I have accumulated a little forest library, which I mainly use to coordinate the respective characteristics of trees. The following are the books you’d find on my table most often, while working on tree identification charts:
★ Gottfried Amann: “Bäume und Sträucher des Waldes: Taschenbildbuch”, Meisungen Neumann 1972
★ Elizabeth Martin, Norma Birgin, Terry Callcut: “Bäume erkennen und bestimmen”, Naumann und Göbel 1998
★ Alan Mitchell: “A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe”, Harper Collins 1974
★ Tony Russell: “Nature Guide: Trees: The World in Your Hands”, DK Nature Guide 2012
★ Steve Marsh: “Die 50 schönsten Bäume der Welt: Ein (…) Kunstwerk”, Dorling Kindersley 2019 (Thanks, Bruni! :))
★ Otto Schmeil: “Pflanzenkunde: Biologisches Unterrichtswerk”, Manuscriptum 2009 nach Quelle & Mayer 1973
★ Margot Spohn, Marianne Golte-Bechtle, Roland Spohn: “Was blüht denn da?”, Kosmos 2015 (Thanks, Mattheo!)
★ Felix / Tomann / Hisek: “Der große Naturführer; Unsere Tier- und Pflanzenwelt in Farbe”, Kosmos 1984
In addition to the real trees in gardens, forests, parks and arboretums (we have a really great arboretum here in Wuppertal in Burgholz and also a very nice collection of – mainly native – trees on the university campus at Grifflenberg!), I also find Wikipedia and Baumkunde really helpful, especially for details that are too often missing in all my neat books (e.g. size). When identification by poster reaches its limits, the app Flora Incognita might help!
Great thanks to Matthias Klesse and Angelika Luckhaus for tirelessly watching, learning and guessing along! <3
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