I love me some River birch (Betula nigra), in my case, ‘Heritage’ River birch. This is a true four season tree and it really shines most when it is needed – the winter.
The exfoliating bark truly stands out when the ground is covered in snow:
The cinnamon colored peeling bark has such an interesting color and texture, it makes you want to inspect it up close and run your fingers all over it. My three trees are relatively young (2 years) so I look forward to watching the development of the bark as the trees age.
But it isn’t all about the bark. I truly enjoy watching this tree first leaf out in spring:
And the development of the catkins (as I’ve learned, the ones in the photo below are apparently female and turn to fruit which is filled with seeds desired by many birds – much more to read and research for me):
As the tree leafs out fully, the aforementioned birds begin to inhabit and seek out the seeds?:
While the River birch isn’t known for it’s big blooms or colorful leaves, it still has a fantastic shape (especially while young) that looks great all summer:
The fall color of the River birch, while fleeting, is a fantastic yellow that contrasts well with all of the red fall color from other trees and shrubs:
But once again, when all is said and done, that beautiful peeling bark steals the show:
Some final quick tidbits:
- Reaches an ultimate height in the 40-70 foot range
- Is a native of the eastern US and typically can be found in swampy areas and flood plains
- As you can imagine, prefers wet soil based on it’s native habitat and that is music to my ears
- Prefers and will really only thrive in full sun
- Survives in zones 4-9
- Deciduous tree that seems to lose it’s leaves early in the fall
- Both single and multi-trunk options exist and I definitely prefer the look of multiple trunks
John
