This week, we are back with our ongoing series about the native trees of the Chicago area with a look at hickory trees.  Hickory trees (Carya sp.) are medium to tall deciduous trees known for their strong, dense wood and edible nuts.  Most species of hickory trees can be found in the eastern half of North America, from southern Canada down to northern Mexico, and there are some species found in India, China, and Indochina.  Hickory trees have...

In the middle of a Chicago winter, yardwork of any kind is probably the last thing on your mind.  The ground in your yard is likely frozen and the plant life, including the grass, trees, and shrubs are dormant.  For the most part, you must wait until the spring to start your yardwork for the new growing season.  However, there is one thing you can do during the winter to help your trees and shrubs; pruning.  Tree pruning is highly recommended...

We return this week with our ongoing series about the native trees of the Chicago area to get you into the holiday spirit with an in-depth look at holly trees.  Holly trees (Ilex sp.) are evergreen or deciduous trees that are found in temperate and subtropical regions around the world, including North America, Central and South America, Asia, and parts of Europe and Africa.  Holly trees are best known for their dark green leaves and bright red...

We are deep in the fall season in the Chicago area which means that most deciduous trees have lost their leaves.  This is why for this edition of our series on the native trees of the Chicago area, we have decided to focus on a type of evergreen tree that is found throughout the area, pine trees.  Pine trees (Pinus sp.) are medium to tall coniferous trees that are found throughout the world in the northern hemisphere.  Depending on the species,...

We are back this week with our series on the native trees of the Chicago area with our first close look at an evergreen tree, the eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana).  The eastern red cedar, also known as the red cedar, Virginian juniper, eastern juniper, red juniper, and pencil cedar, is a coniferous tree found throughout the eastern half of the United States.  These trees can grow to be more than 40 feet tall and they may also appear as...

We are back this week to continue our series about Chicago’s native trees with a profile on a tree that has been in this area for thousands of years, the American beech tree (Fagus grandifolia).  This tall American hardwood tree is found mostly in the eastern half of the U.S. and southern Canada.  It is believed that the American beech was once spread throughout the modern-day continental U.S., from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, before the...