Meet the Plants!
Focal Species
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)
This iconic tree is declining in our neck of the wood. It is easily identified by its characteristic peeling white bark.
Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)
The smell of winter and double racerback stripe on the underside of the needles give away the balsam fir.
Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)
Ash trees cover our forests and wetland, but they have an uncertain future because of emerald ash borer.
Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
Bright red stems make this shrub hard to miss as it decorates our winter landscape.
Maples
Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
Known for the delicious syrup made from their sap, sugar maple fills many of our forests along the Northshore.
Boxelder (Acer negundo)
It is one of our most common maples but it is often overlooked because its leaves don't look like a maple leaf!
Mountain Maple (Acer spicatum)
Mountain maple is dressed with khaki pants (beige stem base) and a red flannel shirt (red branches).
Fall Splendor
Tamarack (Larix laricina)
Tamarack is a deciduous conifer whose needles turn bright gold in autumn. It gets more common inland and farther north but we have some in Duluth.
Mountain Ash (Sorbus decora)
The distinctive red berries of the mountain ash remain on the tree during the winter and provide an early spring food source for migrating birds.
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
Staghorn sumac is aptly named for its fuzzy horn-like branch structure and turns brilliant shades of red in autumn.