The Anatomy Of A Tree

In this tutorial, we will learn about all the different parts, or anatomy of a tree.

Anatomy means all the little parts that come together to make one big part. In this case, a tree. So, what are the parts of a tree? Well, a tree has three main parts:

Roots
Trunk
Crown

Each of these three parts can be broken down further into even smaller parts.

The divisions of a tree

If we were to divide up the main parts of a tree, we will find that each one is made up of even smaller sections:

Roots are made up of large roots, smaller roots, tiny roots called rootlets, and even tinier root hairs
Tree trunks are made up of different layers too, called bark, cambium, sap-wood and heart-wood
The crown of a tree is made up of large branches, smaller branches and twigs

Anatomy by the seasons

In addition, a tree has other parts which come and go throughout the year - changing by the seasons.

In the spring, you might find buds, blossoms or catkins
During the summer, you will see leaves, flowers, fruit and berries
Then, in the autumn, the leaves fall off and you find nuts and seeds
Finally, during winter, you find only buds - unless it is a conifer or evergreen tree. (In which case you will find leaves and cones nearly all the year round.)

But did you know, even these are made up of even smaller bits. For example, leaves are made up of stems, blades and veins, while flowers have petals, sepals, anthers, stamens and ovaries.

Under the microscope

If you were to take a little piece of a tree and look at it under a microscope - any piece of the tree, you would notice that they can all be broken down even further into teeny tiny parts called cells... and even tinier parts called organelles... all the way down into atoms!

And there are many different types of cells, organs and organelles. In fact, they even arrange themselves into structures inside the tree, each of which has its own special job to do.

For example, phloem and xylem tubes run all the way up and down the tree from its roots to its leaves carrying food and water. While chlroplasts can be found inside mesothelial cells in the leaves. These have a job called photosynthesis. This means they use sunshine to help the tree make energy.

Summary

Well, there we go! So let us recap this lesson:

Each tree is made up of lots of smaller parts, arranged by structure and function.

While the three main parts of a tree are its roots, trunk and crown, each of these can be divided down in smaller parts and even smaller parts - some of which change according to the seasons.

Remember too, that every large, small and tiny part of a tree has its own special role to play in helping the tree stay strong and healthy. And they all work together to make up the anatomy of a tree.

Tree Anatomy Nature Study

Your task, is to find a tree and see if you can notice all the little parts of the tree in real life.

Start by noticing its roots, trunk and crown.
Then look at the roots again - can you see how the bigger roots divide into smaller roots?
Next, follow the trunk up and see how it splits into larger and smaller branches
Try to reach a twig and examine it carefully.
Can you see any buds or leaves... or anything else?
Look at a leaf and trace its stem and veins.
What else can you see on your tree?

Finally, I would like you to find a tree stump. Take a good look and see what you can see.. If you cannot find a tree stump, take a look at our tree stump tutorial to take a look inside.

What next?

What Makes Leaves Change Their Colour In Autumn?

Why do leaves change colour in the autumn?

Hello! In this tutorial, we are going to look at how and why tree leaves change their colour in the autumn. We will also look at why some leaves turn yellow, while others turn orange or red. Are you ready? Lets get started!

Here are your quick links:

Why do leaves change colour?
Why do trees have leaves?
Why are leaves green?
What makes leaves change colour in the autumn?
How does weather affect leaf colour?
Do all trees lose their leaves in the autumn?
Why are autumn trees different colours?

Why do leaves change colour?

Here is a quick over view of autumn leaves and their many colours.

Leaves contain several different coloured pigments - green chlorophyll, red anthocyanin, yellow xanthophyll and orange carotenoid
There is so much more chlorophyll compared to the other pigments, that the leaves appear green.
Autumn's cold weather and reduced daylight hours prompt trees to enter a state of hibernation
Chlorophyll makes energy for the tree, but needs sunlight to function.
It also costs the tree a lot of energy to make its chlorophyll
So, they stop producing chlorophyll in order to save energy
Once the there is no more chlorophyll, we see the other pigments shine!

Are you ready to learn more? Let's go!

Why do trees have leaves?

To understand why leaves change colour, we must first understand why trees have leaves in the first place.

Leaves are basically the kitchens of plants and trees. They take the main ingredients a tree needs to live (sunlight and carbon dioxide), combines them with water and minerals (absorbed by the trees’ roots), and uses sunlight to cook them up into oxygen and sugars. These sugars can then be used as an energy source by the tree.

Why are leaves green?

In order to acquire the sunlight it needs to cook its food, trees have a special pigment (called chlorophyll) inside their leaves. Chlorophyll absorbs the sunlight and uses it as a catalyst (a helper) in this energy-making process. (This process is called photosynthesis.)

Chlorophyll is green - and there is LOTS of it in every leaf. So, most leaves look green. But, chlorophyll is not the only pigment present inside leaves.

There are actually several pigments, each with their own special function. The most important of these, are chlorophyll (green), carotenoids (orange), xanthophyll (yellow), tannins (brown) and anthocyanins (red).

But there is so much chlorophyll compared to the others, that it completely masks them to the point that we cannot see the other colours. That is, until the arrival of autumn.

What makes leaves change colour in the autumn?

As autumn sets in, the temperatures drop and the nights draw in, reducing daylight hours. This means less cooking or food-making time for the tree, which means less photosynthesis.

The amount of energy created by the chlorophyll drops significantly - even though the tree is still using up energy to make it. (This change in temperature and daylight, is called photoperiodism). It makes no sense for the tree to be wasting energy in making chlorophyll if it is not getting anything back. So, it stops making chlorophyll.

(Remember, there is more than one pigment present in tree leaves. It is just the vast quantity of chlorophyll that makes us see leaves as green. So, it makes sense that once the tree stops producing chlorophyll, we will start to see the other pigments present in the leaves.)

But even these pigments compete with each other. Remember, xanthophyll is yellow, carotenoids are orange and anthocyanins are red. So, if there are more carotenoids and xanthophyll than anthocyanins, we see the leaves as orange or yellow. But if there are more anthocyanins than carotenoids, then the leaves appear red.

How does weather affect leaf colour?

Like chlorophyll, carotenoids and anthocyanin are also dependent on temperature and daylight hours - especially anthocyanin.

So, sometimes, if the season is cold and bright, red leaves become much more vibrant (because the tree is producing lots of anthocyanin).

Whereas, if the season is cloudy and overcast, the leaves look duller and not as bright (because it is not producing as much).

Do all trees lose their leaves in the autumn?

Although photoperiodism will affect almost all trees, not all trees lose their leaves in response to it.

Conifers are called evergreens because they do not shed their leaves in the autumn (although, larch does). Whereas deciduous trees almost always shed their leaves (although, holly and holly oak are exceptions).

Also, not all deciduous trees shed their leaves at the same time. Some trees, like ash, change colour and drop their leaves really early in the season. While others, such as oak, beech, sycamore and hornbeam take time to respond and hold on to their leaves for much, much longer.

Why are autumn trees different colours?

If you look around you in the autumn, you will notice a wide array of autumn shades. Some trees are red, some are yellow, some orange and others are brown.

While the colour of each tree is dependent on the ratio of its pigments, certain trees tend to turn certain colours.

For example, hornbeam and maple often turn red, while field maple and ash are usually yellow. Hawthorn often turns to orange and oak, with its tannins, turns a tan-brown colour.

Well, there we go!

So, what makes leaves change their colour in the autumn? It is all down to cooler weather, shorter daylight hours and pigments!

Once the autumn kicks in and the days get shorter, the trees cannot justify wasting energy to produce chlorophyll, because it cannot help the tree make energy in return. So, they stop making it, allowing all the other pigments present in the leaf to step into the dimming light and shine!

If you would love to learn more, you can have a look at this BBC documentary about why leaves change colour in the autumn. You can also learn how to preserve your leaves for autumn crafts in this nature craft tutorial.

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How to preserve autumn leaves in four easy ways.

Four Ways To Preserve Autumn Leaves

Hello! In this tutorial, we are going to learn about four easy ways to preserve autumn leaves ready for use in your nature crafts or nature journal. Are you ready? Lets get started! Here are your quick links:

Why preserve autumn leaves
How to press leaves
How to preserve leaves with waxed paper
How to preserve leaves in a microwave
How to preserve leaves in a glycerine bath
Other ways to preserve leaves

Why preserve autumn leaves?

Who can resist swishing through a pile of autumn leaves? Scuffing and kicking them up with your feet? Stopping to pick up a beautiful leaf? There are so many things you can do with them ... press them in journals, weave them into wreathes; crown yourself queen of the forest ...

You can of course use them just as they are. But, it helps if they are supple - they are easier to work with or, if you have a bit more time to enjoy them before they disintegrate or break. One way of making them last longer and increasing their flexibility, is to preserve them. There are multiple ways to do this, some more complicated than others. In this tutorial, we will look at the four easiest ways to preserve autumn leaves:

How to press leaves

This method is the simplest and easiest way of preserving autumn (or any) leaves. You simply use a heavy weight and some kind of blotting paper to dry the leaves out.

Uses:

Leaves dried by pressing are useful for sticking into nature journals or creating pictures. They can also be arranged with pressed flowers to make a more interesting feature.

You will need:

Flat, thin leaves
Newspaper or other blotting paper
Heavy books or weights

Directions:

Lay your leaves carefully on half a sheet of folded newspaper.
Gently lay the other half of the newspaper on top of the leaves.
Place the heavy books or other weights on top.
Keep them somewhere cool and dry.
Gently lift the top sheet and check up on your leaves once a week.
If any are looking mouldy, make sure to remove them.
Your leaves are ready when they are completely dry.

Tips:

To make the leaves softer, you can soak in them in a little diluted laundry conditioner first.
Alternatively, you can gently brush them with a thin layer of vaseline or oil.

How to preserve leaves with waxed paper

This method uses a blanket of waxed paper to enclose the leaves. Applying heat, then makes the wax melt and coat the leaves.

Uses:

Leaves dried by this method can be used for garlands, bunting and lanterns.

You will need:

Flat, thin leaves
Waxed paper
Hot iron
2 cloth rags
Ironing board

Directions:

Lay one of your rags on the ironing board.
Lay a sheet of waxed paper, waxy side up, on top of the rag.
Carefully places your leaves on top of the waxed paper.
Gently place another waxed paper, waxy side down, on top of the leaves.
Carefully place the second rag on top of this second sheet.
Slowly and smoothly, run your hot iron over the cloth on top of the waxed paper/leaf sandwich.
Next, gently press down and hold the iron over the cloth for a few seconds, before moving to the next area.
Do this for the whole cloth/wax-leaf-sandwich area.
Make sure the wax has al melted, then remove the iron and allow to cool.
Once they are completely cool, you can carefully tease the paper off the waxed leaves, then cut the leaves out.

Tips:

Try and leave a margin around each leaf when cutting them out. This helps ensure they stay sealed.

How to preserve leaves in a microwave

This method uses a microwave oven to dry out and preserve your leaves.

Uses:

Leaves dried in the microwave can be used in nature journals, book marks and for inserting in clay tiles.

You will need:

Fresh, pliable leaves.
Paper towels
Paper
Ceramic coaster or flat, microwaveable plate
Microwave oven

Directions:

Fold a piece of paper in half, then open it up
Carefully lay your leaves in one half of the open paper
Fold the paper in half, sandwiching the leaves inside it.
Then sandwich the paper-leaf sandwich inside your paper towel.
Place this bundle carefully in the microwave
Gently place a ceramic toaster or flat plate on top of the bundle.
Microwave on medium heat for 30 seconds, then check your leaves.
Keep checking every 30 seconds.
Your leaves are ready when they are nice and dry and no longer stick to the paper.

Tips:

Make sure you keep checking your leaves every 10-30 seconds - if they become too dry, they may scorch and burn.
Thinner leaves will dry much faster than thicker leaves. So, it may be useful to dry thick and thin leaves in separate batches.

How to preserve leaves in a glycerine bath

This method uses a mixture of water and glycerine to preserve your leaves.

Uses:

Leaves dried in a glycerine bath, maintain their soft, supple quality. They can be used in bunting, vase decorations, leaf crowns or other crafts.

You will need:

Fresh leaves or twiggy branches
Water
Glycerine
Container

Directions:

Mix 1 part of glycerine to 2 parts of water
Carefully submerge your leaves into this water-glycerine mix
Place a heavy dish on top to help push the leaves under and keep them submerged
Leave them in the solution and check on them every 2-3 days
Your leaves are ready when they are soft, flexible and shiny.
Take them out, and blot them dry on some paper towels
Voila! Your leaves are ready to use.

Tips:

You can also preserve whole branches with leaves attached too. Just crush the ends of the branches and place them in a vase containing the water-glycerine solution. Store it away from heat and sunlight. The branch is ready once little dew-like beads appear on the leaves. Take them out of the solution, blot them off and leave them to dry.

Other leaf preservation methods

Above, we have discussed four methods of preserving autumn leaves ready for use in your autumn leaf nature crafts. But, there are also several other methods you can use. Some of these include,

Dipping in melted wax
Coating in PVA glue
Laminating in plastic
Using nail varnish
Painting in glitter glue

Why not experiment and see which methods you prefer? If you want to identify the leaves you find, you can check out this post here.

Summary

Well... there we go! A quick introduction to four ways you can use to help you preserve autumn leaves ready for use in your nature crafts. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial? Let me know in the comments. Happy nature walking and see you soon!

P.S. If you enjoyed this tutorial, don't forget to subscribe by clicking the button below x

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Check out these related links and resources:

How to identify trees by their leaves

Hello! In this tutorial, we are going to learn how to identify some of our most common tree by their leaves. Specifically, we will learn how to identify leaves by their shape. Are you ready? Lets get started!

(To help make it easier for you, I have divided the leaves into groups, so you can use these quick links to jump where you need to go x)

Star-shaped leaves
Palmate leaves
Spiky leaves
Lobed or wavy leaves
Pinnate leaves
'Leaf'-shaped leaves
Round leaves

Star-shaped leaves

Norway maple

Norway maple leaves are sharp at the tips compared to field maple and sycamore.

Field maple

Field maple leaves are much rounder at the tips and smaller than Norway maple and sycamore.

Sycamore

Sycamore leaves are softer at the tips than sycamore, but sharper than field maple.

Palmate (hand-like) leaves

Horse chestnut

Horse chestnuts are the most common tree you are likely to find with characteristically hand-shaped leaves.

Spiky leaves

Holly

Holly trees have dark, shiny, very spiky leaves. Another spiky shrub (and a garden run away), is mahonia.

Lobed or wavy leaves

Oak

Oak trees have distinctively lobed leaves, often very gnarled, spreading branches - and a helpful clue - acorns!

Hawthorn

Hawthorn trees are usually a dense tangle of lichen-covered, shrubs with thorny branches.

Pinnate (or feather-like) leaves

Ash

Ash trees have thin leaflets, often more than 5 to a stem and clustered at the tips of the branches.

Elder

Elder leaves are rounder than ash and often darker and thicker. In addition, it is a more-shrub-like plant.

Rowan

Rowan trees have skinny, leaflets with saw-like edges. They also often have white lichen spots on their bark.

Leaf-shaped leaves

Beech

Beech tree leaves are quintessentially 'leaf' shaped and leathery. They are often slightly wavy around the edges.

Hornbeam

Hornbeam leaves might look like beech leaves, but they have deep valleys between their veins.

Wych elm

Wych elm leaves can be spotted by their asymmetrical leaf base and their pointy (sometimes 3 pointed) tip.

Round leaves

Aspen

Aspen leaves are rounded (sometimes slightly pointed), very delicate-looking leaves with gently-waving edges.

Hazel

Hazel leaves are larger than aspen with a marked tip. They are also narrow at the base, wider at the top.

Linden

Linden leaves look like upside down hearts, with a curved base, wide middle and widely pointed tip.

How do you identify trees by their leaves?

Sometimes (but not always) one of the easiest ways to identify a tree is by looking at its leaves. Your clues are the shape, size, margins, tips and bases and arrangement of the leaves.

This might sound like a lot of things to look at, but really, usually, you only need to focus on two things - the arrangement of the leaves and their shape. These help you to narrow the leaf down. Then, the extra details like the margins, tips and bases just provide extra clues to help you confirm what it is.

The two types of leaf arrangement

When looking at leaves, I like to start wide and then move in and the best way to start wide with leaves, is by looking at their arrangement and how they attach to the branches or stems. There are two types of leaf arrangement: simple and compound.

Simple leaves are individual leaves, each with their own special connection to the twig or tree branch. While, compound leaves are a group of leaves which join together and share a connection to the tree branch. These can be further divided into pinnate and palmate.

Pinnate-type compound leaves consist of individual leaflets that join along a main stem and attach to the branch via the main stem. While, palmate-type compound leaves are individual leaflets that radiate out and join in one central point, from which a shared stem then emerges to attach them to the tree branch.

Simple leaf

Pinnate leaf

Palmate leaf

Summary

Well... there we go! In this lesson, we met some of our most common tree leaves and learned how to identify them all. I hope you feel more confident about identifying them now?

Just remember, there are many, many different trees - all with different leaves - and I have only covered a few of them here.

Tree leaves nature study

Right! Now it is time for your tree leaves nature study.

Your task, is to go out on a nature walk and find some tree leaves.

Try and identify the leaves you find using the downloadable guide
Handle the leaves and get to know their colours, size and shape.
Notice the details of the leaves - their stems and how they attach to the leaf
Look at the arrangement of the veins running through the leaf
Run your fingers over the edge of the leaves and feel their margins
Examine the underside of the leaves for fine hairs or fuzziness
See how bouncy, crisp or delicate the leaf might be