Creating a sustainable and compassionate community
By Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living One of the most beautiful trees native to Ohio is the Flowering Dogwood. Its lovely flowers withlarge white petals are a welcome harbinger of spring, even if the petals aren’t really petals. But first, another tree with white flowers makes its appearance in […]
By Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living Occasionally the Tree of the Month article will feature topics related to, but not strictly about trees. Mistletoe would be an appropriate subject for the December issue, but I wanted to release this article before I lost touch with Daniel and Gigi, who […]
Fascinating information about the great White Oak trees, by Mort Schmidt.
by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living Oaks, the trees of the genus Quercus, are among the most important hardwood trees. There are approximately 500 species of oaks worldwide and a little under 100 in the United States, but they are found primarily in the northern hemisphere. Oaks provide a […]
by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living Holly has long been associated with the holiday seasons. In fact, the name “Holly” is derived from the word “holy” because of this association. Holly is primarily a southeastern tree, but its natural range does extend into the southernmost counties of Ohio. Left […]
By Martin (Mort) Schmidt, for Simply Living The Ohio State University’s famous football coach, Woody Hayes, described the Buckeye as “a worthless nut”. And so it is. Nor does the wood have much value. But in November, as we’re winding up the football season, what better tree to honor than […]
Thanks to Mort Schmidt for this wonderful description of the Sugar Maple tree and its many uses.
Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus Altissimus)by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living The latest Tree of the Month is a bad seed, if you’ll pardon the expression. If you’re someone who’s drawn to exotic beauties who are known troublemakers, Ailanthus altissima is the tree for you. Tree of heaven is native to China, […]
Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)by Martin (Mort) Schmidt for Simply Living Cottonwood has alternate, simple leaves. In trees with alternate leaves (and branches), which describes most Ohio hardwoods, the leaves and branches are not attached directly across from each other, as shown in the image below. Simple leaves are distributed more […]