Trees can be identified in winter by observing their needles, bark, branching patterns, and buds. Distinctive bark, such as the smooth gray bark of a beech or the peeling white bark of a paper birch, ...

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.

Every garden is a thing of beauty in the growing seasons — spring bulbs, summer flowers and fall foliage all carry on with extravagance. But winter is coming, so the colorful garden superstars will ...