As our class comes to an end, life is just beginning in the forest

It's leaf-out season!!!  Here are a couple shots of emerging buds and some little baby leaves...

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

Invasive Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera joponica)

Possibly a type of willow (Salix spp.)

Tough to tell; I've never had to identify a tree between
the bud and leaf stage — it has to be either a maple, ash,
dogwood, Caprifoliaceae, or horse chestnut!

Not only is it leaf-out season but also fern spore season;
these are horsetails (Equisetum) which are seedless
vascular ferns in the pteridophyta division

Ancient land plants like this sphagnum moss
(Sphagnopsida) have dominant gametophyte
(the green part) generations, unlike most other plants
and animals, which have dominant sporophyte
generations (the brown part)

Back to trees! Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)

Not sure what this is, but it sure is pretty

Have a great summer, everyone.  Enjoy the green out there!