December is a month when evergreens are seen everywhere—indoors and out! Wreaths and decorated trees fill homes and public spaces, and the fallen leaves on deciduous trees makes conifers even more prominent in our Minnesota forests. This is a great season for growing sprouts and older folks alike to look a little closer at the evergreens around us, to learn which details to look for, and to identify our native trees.

It would be quite the challenge to be able to identify all 100+ different species of pine, spruce, and fir trees. For now, let’s look at the big categories and the trees native to Minnesota that we see most often. Let’s ask a series of questions to figure out which evergreen we’re looking at.

Q: SINGLE NEEDLES OR BUNDLES?

How are needles attached to the branch—in small bundles of 2-5 needles or as single needles?

A: BUNDLES.

We have a pine tree! There are a few kinds we see a lot of in Minnesota.

WHITE PINES have 5 needles in a bundle and are long (3-5”).

RED PINES have 2 needles in a bundle and are long (4-6”).

JACK PINES have 2 needles in a bundle and are short (1-1.5”).

A: SINGLES.

We have either a spruce or a fir tree. Let’s ask another question.

Q: FLAT OR SQUARE?

Pluck off a needle and roll it between your fingers. Is it hard to roll because it’s flat, or do you feel slight ridges as it rolls in your fingers because it’s square?

A: FLAT.

We have a fir tree. Balsam firs are common Minnesota firs.

You might remember this by thinking of Fs: firs are flat and friendly (no sharp tips on the needles).

A: SQUARE.

We have a spruce tree. There are a variety of spruces, but here are three.

WHITE SPRUCES have hairless branches.

BLACK SPRUCES have tiny red hairs between needles on their branches.

BLUE SPRUCES have needles with a slight blue tinge to the color.

DO: Nature Walk and Quiz

Go for a nature walk and see how many different kinds of evergreens you encounter. Bring back samples of the different needles or needle bundles that you find.

Once you know the trees that each needle comes from, quiz another family member or a friend by laying out all your needles on a table. Can they guess correctly?

Source:

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/trees/native-trees.html

https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/49816/6593.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Photo credits: Sarah Heidtke (1), Valerie Rogotzke (2)