People often ask me how I can identify plants so easily in the field. Really, in most cases, it’s not so difficult, so let me share a few tips..
#1 Find a Distinctive Feature.
When you learn a new plant look to see if there is something special or distinctive that really sets it apart from the others. If someone is teaching you, ask them if such a feature exists (if it isn’t obvious to you already).
For some reason I tend to find trees a little tricky, so I will give an example of how I easily identify a Sugar Pine (Pinus lambertiana) in a forest. I look for the dangling long pine cones at the end of the branches. They dangle almost like the tree is wearing earrings.
Sugar Pines have the longest pine cones of any conifer, so they really do stand out! I call that a distinctive feature.
Follow these posts to learn other Plant ID Tips & Tricks…
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