It is spring time, which means that tree buds are beginning to open up and leaves are growing. Here are 4 facts about those buds on the trees that have in fact been there all winter long.
During winter trees in the Rocky Mountains and all over the world appear to be bare and dead. They are not in fact dead, but are dormant. That means they are just resting and waiting until conditions are more favorable for them to be active again. Those favorable conditions, warmer temperatures and longer days with more sunlight, happen in the springtime. Those buds are actually on the tree all winter long and aren’t just there in the spring when the trees are budding.
Buds in the spring opening up and growing.
The Buds Have Been There All Winter Long
The next time you go outside this winter take a close look at some twigs on a tree. Look at the very tips of the twigs and you will see buds. These buds on the tips of the twigs are called ‘terminal buds’.
Tree buds in winter.
During the winter the tree does not have any leaves so it can not make its own energy. At the end of summer, the last new leaves the tree makes will become the buds that protect the tree all winter long. These winter buds contain all the tree will need to start growing again once it is spring.
You Can Identify A Tree In Winter By Looking At The Buds
Scientists, naturalists, and curious people can identify a tree during the winter when there are no leaves on the tree. They do this by carefully observing what is on the tree such as the bark and the buds.
The Buds Protect The Tree During Winter
Trees have these terminal buds on the tips of the twigs all winter long in order to protect the tree from the freezing cold temperatures of winter. Those buds serve as a barrier to keep the cold out and prevent the inner parts of the tree from freezing and dying.
The Tree Buds Open Up In The Spring
In the spring time when the temperatures have warmed up and the days are longer the trees begin to come back to life. One of the first signs that the trees are no longer dormant and are active again is that the tree buds open up and new leaves begin to grow.
It may be true that the trees are ‘budding’ in the spring, but as you now know those buds have been on the tree all winter long.