Identifying trees in the winter without leaves present can be very challenging! You need to use clues from the bark and stems to figure it out. One of the first clues to look for is whether the leaves have an alternate or an opposite arrangement (of course in the winter you are looking at the buds or leaf scars instead of the actual leaves). Alternate means that each leaf grows from a different point on the stem. Opposite means that two leaves grow from the same point, directly across from each other. The scientific term for this is phyllotaxy.

Discover more tree facts below as we share the 3 winter trees to notice now.

The easiest way to identify this tree in the winter is by noticing the sulfur yellow color of it's buds. Yellow buds are very unique! It's buds are alternate with a long terminal bud. The buds are valvate, meaning that they are composed of two scales that meet in the middle like a valve. This characteristic can be so pronounced in the terminal bud that it can look like two separate tiny leaves.