Lichens survive in a very wide range of habitats worldwide. Amazingly, more than 400 species can be found in Maryland.

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 ...

When we think of bark on a tree, we tend to compare it to the skin of a human. The primary function of both bark and skin is to protect the material within and beneath it. In Grade 7, we learned that ...

Clockwise from top left: (1) Two lodgepole pines growing side-by-side with notably different bark textures, (2) a rough-barked limber pine that has been attacked by bark beetles, (3) a limber pine ...

The bark of a tree is its own protection against the weather. While we shrug on a coat when it’s wet or cold, a tree will grow its own to insulate itself, keeping moisture out when it’s raining and in ...

Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. Leaves are the food factories of the tree. Powered by sunlight, the green ...