Sarma Ozols
What to see now
Check out what’s in bloom on Governors Island, updated seasonally. For this winter’s Plant Watch, we’re highlighting several trees that can be found throughout the Island and providing tips on identifying them using their bark as a guide. Don’t forget: you can locate any tree on Governors Island with our interactive tree map!
Winter
Red maple
Acer rubrum
Young red maples have smooth, almost silver bark. As they mature, the color darkens, and vertical cracks begin to develop in the bark. Once they’ve reached maturity, the bark becomes scaly and furrowed, with deep cracks and ridges present.
Where to find them: Nolan Park and Owasco Road (in front of the old theatre)
Northern red oak
Quercus rubra
Northern red oaks have a distinctive ridged bark that will appear in irregular stripes. The bark is a dark, brownish gray in color. It’s one of the few trees with striping all the way down the trunk, making it easy to distinguish.
Where to find them: Find mature trees lining the Northen side of Liggett Hall, and young trees in Hammock Grove and on the edges of the Play Lawns
American elm
Ulmus americana
Young American elms have smooth, brown bark. As they mature, the color becomes an ashy gray with broad, flat ridges separated by diamond-like furrows.
Where to find them: Hammock Grove, between Nolan Park buildings 15 and 16, and on the Parade Ground
Pin oak
Quercus palustris
Mature pin oaks are smoother than Northern red oaks, but still exhibit narrow ridges. On mature trees, the bark is light gray-brown in color.
Where to find them: Hammock Grove, between Nolan Park buildings 15 and 16, and on the Parade Ground
Sweetgum Worplesdon
Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Worplesdon’
Mature sweetgum trees are marked by their scaly, dark gray bark with deep ridges. Younger trees (pictured here) have smoother bark that can exhibit notched, wart-like projections that reduce with age.
Where to find them: On the edges of the Parade Ground behind Colonels Row
River birch
Betula nigra
River birches have some of the most beautiful and distinctive bark on this list, appearing peeling and flaky and exhibiting a light brown, almost pale pink color when the trees are mature.
Where to find them: Slide Hill
Photos by Sarma Ozols