Tree Scavenger Hunt

Junior Ranger Day Tree Scavenger Hunt

Please use the following audio recordings to describe each of the trees at the Park Ranger: Interpreter - Trees table.

 

• Water Oak Tree

  
  

  Description of Water Oak Tree as printed for the 2022 Junior Ranger Day tree scavenger hunt.

  Credit / Author:

  NPS/ T.Gray

  Date created:

  04/22/2022

  Audio Transcript

  Trees of the Big Thicket. Water Oak. The scientific name is Quercus nigra. It is spelled q-u-e-r-c-u-s. This is the genus. N-i-g-r-a. This is the species. The family is Fagaceae which represents beeches and oaks. It is spelled f-a-g-a-c-e-a-e. The water oak lives on floodplains, bottomlands, and mixed forests. About Me. Even though I'm decideouus, I have a hard time letting go of my leaves. Sometmes my leaves hang on into winter.

 

• Loblolly Pine Tree

  
  

  Description of the Loblolly Pine Tree as printed on the 2022 Jr. Ranger Day's tree scavenger hunt.

  Credit / Author:

  NPS/ T.Gray

  Date created:

  04/22/2022

  Audio Transcript

  Loblolly Pine. The scientific name is Pinus taeda. It is spelled p-i-n-u-s. This is the genus. T-a-e-d-a. This is the species. The family is Pinaceaue which represents pines. It is spelled p-i-n-a-c-e-a-e. The loblolly pine lives througout the Big Thicket, from floodplains to pine uplands. About Me. My pinecones hang from my branches for 2-3 years.

 

• Bald Cypress Tree

  
  

  Description of the Bald Cypress Tree as printed on the 2022 Jr. Ranger Day's tree scavenger hunt.

  Credit / Author:

  NPS/ T.Gray

  Date created:

  04/22/2022

  Audio Transcript

  Bald Cypress. The scientific name is Taxodium distichum. It is spelled t-a-x-o-d-u-m. This is the genus. d-i-s-t-i-c-h-u-m. This is the species. The family is Cupressaceae which represents cypresses. It is spelled c-u-p-r-e-s-s-a-c-e-a-e. The bald cypress lives in waterways and swamps. About Me. I grow "knees," which are woody fingers that grow out of the ground from my roots.

 

• Black Tupelo/Blackgum Tree

  
  

  Description of the Black Tupelo or Blackgum Tree as printed on the 2022 Jr. Ranger Day's tree scavenger hunt.

  Credit / Author:

  NPS/ T.Gray

  Date created:

  04/22/2022

  Audio Transcript

  Black tupelo or blackgum tree. The scientific name is Nyssa sylvatica. It is spelled n-y-s-s-a. This is the genus. s-y-l-v-a-t-i-c-a. This is the species. The family is Nyssaceae which represents tupelos. It is spelled n-y-s-s-a-c-e-a-e. The black tupelo or blackgum tree lives in many habitats in the Big Thicket, including stream bottoms and uplands.. About Me. I often have hollows in my trunk, which make good homes for small animals.

 

• American Holly Tree

  
  

  Description of the American Holly Tree as printed on the 2022 Jr. Ranger Day's tree scavenger hunt.

  Credit / Author:

  NPS/ T.Gray

  Date created:

  04/22/2022

  Audio Transcript

  American Holly. The scientific name is Ilex opaca. It is spelled i-l-e-x. This is the genus. o-p-a-c-a. This is the species. The family is Aquifoliaceae which represents the holly family. It is spelled A-q-u-i-f-o-l-i-a-c-e-a-e. The American Holly tree lives in shaded woods and bottomlands beneath the forest canopy. About Me. I'm well-known for the clusters of small, red berries that grow on my branches in winter. But don't eat them - they're toxic!

 

• Southern Magnolia Tree

  
  

  Description of the Southern Magnolia Tree as printed on the 2022 Jr. Ranger Day's tree scavenger hunt.

  Credit / Author:

  NPS/ T.Gray

  Date created:

  04/22/2022

  Audio Transcript

  Southern Magnolia. The scientific name is Magnolia grandiflora. It is spelled m-a-g-n-o-l-i-a. This is the genus. g-r-a-n-d-i-f-l-o-r-a. This is the species. The family is Magnoliaceae which represents magnolias. It is spelledm-a-g-n-o-l-i-a-c-e-a-e. The Southern Magnolia tree lives in swamp forests, floodplains, and woods along the Gulf Coast. About Me. I'm famous for my big, white flowers that bloom in late spring. My species' name, grandiflora, means "big flower."