Mary Jo DiLonardo has worked in print, online, and broadcast journalism for 25 years and covers nature, health, science, and animals. Young trees sometimes have smooth bark that's unbroken by ridges.

DARIEN -- Most people walk past trees and plants every day without paying much attention to the biological diversity surrounding them. "A lot of people walk through, and all they see is a tree," said ...

If asked to describe what tree bark looks like, most people probably would say something like: “It’s rough and brown and covers the trunk of a tree.” That is a good description of many trees, but not ...

As a big fan of easy-to-identify trees, I was happy to see chestnut oak while hiking Mt. Agamenticus last week. I usually rely upon leaves to identify most tree species, so winter tree identification ...

A walk in the woods this time of year is different. It’s quiet and monochromatic. Other than the crunch of your shoes on frozen ground, there isn’t as much to see or hear as a forest in spring or ...