Know Your Trees Multi-Cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This Geocache is designed to help you identify 20 local trees while also going on a typical Geocache search along a one mile hike. You will make your way through fields, along mowed paths and boardwalks in search of trees. The grounds may be wet in spring. Posted coordinates are for parking. This cache is best attempted in spring through fall when leaves are still visible. A winter cache would be difficult unless you are familiar with local trees. A compass would be helpful to find the final.
This cache is located on the grounds of a Career Technical High School and permission has been given for both hiding and finding the cache. You must sign in at the front office if you are caching while school is in session;September - June, Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM.
At each waypoint you will have to identify a tree. Trees are tagged. A list of trees and descriptions are below. Each tree has a corresponding character that, when ordered in the numbered sequence, will give you the coordinates for a final tree. You must follow the waypoints in the order given. Each waypoint note will give you tree characteristics to pay special attention to. Click on "Show hidden Waypoints" to display the directions for the final. To identify trees, use the shape of the leaves, the leaf margin and the number of blades (leaflets). Notice how the leaves are arranged on the twigs - opposite each other or alternating. Look at the shape and size of the buds and the texture and patterns in the bark. Pay attention to where you find the tree. Many trees are specific to soil conditions such as dry, moist, etc. For help with tree identification visit the Know Your Trees website.
Each tree is numbered with an aluminum tag the size of a quarter. Still you'll need good accuracy to narrow down to the inividual tree. From the final tree use your compass to find the cache container. Plan 2 hours or more to complete.
The following trees can be found on the trail. They are listed here in alphabetical order by common name. After the name is the final waypoint clue in parenthesis. Place these characters in the order found to reveal the final waypoint coordinates. (Note: two trees are listed twice to help gather all characteristics).
American Beech (7) - Smooth, gray bark. Buds are long and slender, resembling cigars. Leaves are coursley toothed and oval with a sharp point at the end.
Apple (9) - Oval shaped leaves with point at end, fine teeth; gray bark appears broken and scaly; fruit is an apple.
Big Toothed Aspen (8) - Smooth grayish bark; leaves are triangular with large irregular teeth on the edges.
Black Birch (4) - Scaly dark gray/black bark, peeling into irregular plates; triangular leaves with serrated edges; wintergreen flavor to buds and twigs.
Black Cherry (6) - Bark is gray/black with scaly chip-like plates, looks and feels crispy. Fairly long leaves, pointed at the ends. Fruit is purplish black once ripe
Boxelder (5) - Opposite arrangement and compound leaf form, leaflets in groups of 5; leaflets may have coarse teeth or lobes; bark and leaves resemble ash except for lobes on leaves.
Gray Birch (W) - Smooth white bark with dark brown branches when young; triangular leaves are long and pointed.
Hawthorne (5) - Small red berries in cluster during late summer and fall; branches have long sharp thorns.
Honeylocust (24) - Doubly compound leaves with 18 to 28 leaflets. Bark has ridges that curl outwards.
Hornbeam (0) - Smooth dark bluish gray bark, wide ridges that resemble tensed muscle; leaves have serrated edges.
Juneberry (6) - Elliptical leaves with fine teeth; small berries, purplish color when ripe; smooth light gray bark, with vertical stripes on a small tree.
Norway Maple (3) - Opposite leaf arrangment and has a broad leaf on a long stalk. The leaf stalk has a milky sap when removed from the twig.
Quaking Aspen (2) - Bark is almost white; leaves are somewhat triangular with rounded base and tiny serrated teeth; flat petiole causes leaves to tremble in the wind.
Red Maple (9) - Opposite leaf arrangement; coarsely serrated leaves with "V" shaped sinus; bark smooth gray breaking into checkered plates.
Red Oak (3) - Bark is gray with flat-topped ridges, inner bark orange-red; leaves are pointed at the end of lobes; its fruit is an acorn
Scotch Pine (0) - Needles are twisted and come in clusters of 2; mixture of light and dark gray bark with reddish orange underneath.
Shagbark Hickory (4) - Five to seven leaflets; light gray bark peeling off in long strips; white nut enclosed in thick green husk with 4 angles.
White Ash (2) - Opposite arrangement and oval shaped leaves, leaflets in groups of 5 to 9; grayish brown bark has diamond shapes between the ridges.
White Pine (2) - Grayish brown bark; light green needles in clusters of 5, flexible.
White Spruce (N) - Single needles blue/green in color; needles of spruce are square. The corners can be felt by rolling between your fingers.
Glossary
Alternate - Leaves or buds arranged singly on one side, then the other along the stem.
Arrangement - The placement of leaves or buds along the stem of a plant.
Fissure - Indentation between ridges of bark
Form - The number of leaf blades present, falling into two categories; simple is one blade and compound is multiple blades.
Lobes - The divisions or fingure like projections of a leaf blade.
Opposite - Leaves or buds arranged directly across from each other along a stem.
Petiole - Stem that connects the leaf to the branch.
Ridges - The raised portion in the texture of the bark.
Serrated - The notches or grooves on the edges of leaves.
Sinus - A space or indentation in a leaf between two lobes or teeth.
Teeth - The serrated edges of a leaf.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur nafjre xrl vf ybpngrq arne gur svany pbbeqvangr. Trg gurz nyy evtug be svaq gur xrl.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures