Evergreen ID - Look for an Evergreen Day (Dec. 19)

December 19^th is National Look for an Evergreen Day. Don’t worry if you already have your holiday tree; take advantage of this unique holiday to get outside and look at the evergreens in your neighborhood.

As you walk through your neighborhood, nearby park or botanical garden try to identify some of the more common evergreens. Evergreens with needles in bundles are a type of pine.

Spruce needles are short, usually stiff and individually attached to the stem. Remove a needle, with permission of course. Roll it between your fingers and feel the ridges.

Firs also have singular needles, but they are flat. Remove one of these needles and you will see a circular needle scar on the branch. The base of fir needles look like suction cups where they attach to the branch.

Now that you can identify more evergreens than most, if not all your friends and family, pass your ID skills along.

A bit more information: Hemlocks are a shade tolerant evergreen you may find in the landscape or natural spaces. They have short needles with 2 white stripes on the underside. For a closer look at identifying these evergreens watch my video Pine, Spruce or Fir, Their True Identity Really Matters.