American Beech

American Beech

Fagus grandifolia

The Beech tree is one of my favorites.  It's a big, muscular, clean tree that grows in nice, open woodlands.  It is also an integral part of the woodland ecosystem.  All sorts of insects, mammals, birds, etc. utilize parts of it for food and shelter.  There is even a parasitic flower, Beechdrops, that grows only around Beech trees and gets its nourishment from the roots of the Beech tree.

Leaves of the trees stay on all winter, making it easy to spot the young ones in the woods

The twigs are distinctive with the elongated buds that stick outwards from the twig

One way to identify Beech trees is by the carvings. Most of them have been marred by lovers and others.

But not all of them!