If you have cleaned up the vegetable garden and cut back your perennials, you might be feeling just a little smug — especially since this gardening guy admits he is behind you in completing those ...

The reddish gray-brown bark of the red oak tree with its darker vertical markings is one of the key features to identifying the tree in winter. (Clay Wollney) Leaves are the most useful and frequently ...

The center of a tree or shrub stem (from roots to trunk, branches, and twigs) is woody, composed of xylem cells that conduct water from the roots to the upper parts of the tree. That woody section is ...

So often we choose a tree because of its flowers, leaves, fall color or its fruit. Often, we forget about the bark. However, on many trees, the bark is the most interesting part of the tree. This can ...

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.