Winter trees AIDGAP

Winter trees AIDGAP

Winter trees AIDGAP is a photo guide to 36 common broad-leaved deciduous trees in Britain and Ireland.

Identifying trees without leaves seems like a daunting challenge. But a closer look will reveal a multitude of slowly swelling buds. Buds are extremely varied, and often easy to learn and remember. The guide includes photos and concise descriptions of four particularly useful characters.

• Bud.
• Twig structure.
• Bark.
• General shape of the tree or shrub.

There is a summary table of all bud photos and descriptions for rapid comparison. So with a little practice, you will find that most winter trees are easy to identify. But for the small number that might cause problems, the authors include a separate ‘Confusable species’ section.

This winter trees guide is part of the FSC’s AIDGAP series (Aids to Identification in Difficult Groups of Animals and Plants). Our AIDGAP guides are accessible identification keys, suitable for non-specialists from age 16+.

Accurate identification of specimens is an important part of biological fieldwork. Although popular groups like wild flowers and butterflies are well served, many other groups are neglected. Since 1976, the AIDGAP project has published over 40 straightforward and clearly written identification keys to many different groups of plants, animals and other taxa. In many cases the AIDGAP volume is the only non-technical work covering the taxa in question.

Although written by specialists, all AIDGAP guides go through field tests in draft form. As with all guides in the series, the Winter trees AIDGAP underwent extensive testing before publication, by beginners and specialists alike. This, the first published version, was revised in the light of their experience.