Because different species and varieties of trees break bud at different times, there’s a big variance in the amount of new growth this time of year at Christmas tree farms. Using the new foliage as one clue, can you identify the order of the trees in these photos from left to right?
(Hint: the choices include balsam fir, Fraser fir, and Canaan fir)
Answer
From left to right: Fraser fir (with distinctive white undersides on its needles), Canaan fir (which typically breaks bud very late, and is just starting to put out new growth in this photo), and balsam fir (which breaks bud the earliest of these three trees and has nearly finished its annual growth here).
This week’s contest winner was PJ Colella