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The Trees of Carrboro ElementaryA guidebook to identify and locate treeswith drawings, poetry and photographs

Written and Illustrated by Carrboro ElementaryFirst Grade Students

May 2010

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Thank You!NC Beautiful Grant Duke EnergyDr. Emily BivinsKitty Heller's ClassChristine Amabile's ClassLuz Marie Suarez's ClassStephanie Wilkins' ClassDebbie Bolas Mary HeineElise McLeanStephen KeggCarrboro PTAAllison WoodDale Traugott

NC Botanical Garden James L. WardDionne DavisAva VanhookJackie EllisonMabel GonzalesShon RichmondEileen Regan Molly StoffregenMaria ArbiolMoo SoeTalar HsoCaleb Klegg

Thank you to Duke Energy for the NC Beautiful Grant and for supporting our students' study of trees and the natural beauty of our state. The many others named on this page have contributed through their amazing gifts of advice, time, energy, talent and donations. Kitty Heller, Project Director                                               

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SycamoreAmerican HollySaucer MagnoliaSouthern MagnoliaCrape MyrtleJapanese Maple

Mugo PineRed MapleSouthern CatalpaBlack Gum Green Ash 

DogwoodRed CedarLoblolly PineAmerican ElmWillow Oak

Southern Sugar   MapleBlack CherryGreen AshPost OakSassafras

RedbudWeeping MulberryPersimmonSweet GumRed Maple

Winged ElmWinged ElmShortleaf PineRed TipScarlet Oak

Pussy WillowTulip TreeFig TreeGoldenrain TreeMimosa

Shagbark HickoryMockernut HickoryWhite OakLeyland CypressThe trees are divided into four sections: the

front of the school, the woods near the 300 wing and the courtyard, the playground and amphitheater, and around the bus circle. The trees are marked and are roughly in order if you begin at the Kiss and Go and proceed clockwise around the school.

Tree Location Map

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 A large, deciduous native tree with peeling bark, the sycamore, also called a London planetree, grows to 100 feet. Seed pods are round with pointy seeds.

 

SycamoreKhatmin and Nate

Pretty as itLooks.  I like itAt midnight as I 'Nelt down to watch it.Everyone looks at it as the moon glitters down on it. A sycamore tree feels smooth. A sycamore tree is deciduous. The wind blows the seed pod.                          

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The holly is a native evergreen tree. It is medium height with smooth and rough bark. Leaves have needle points. 

American HollyPeter and Duncan

  

Holiday TreeOpen in the wildLong stemsLeaves and red  berriesYear long leaves.

 

Standing high and tall,The holly is around you.It is on your Christmas  wreath.

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This small, deciduous tree near the auditorium has gray bark, dull green leaves, and beautiful tulip-shaped flowers. 

Saucer Magnolia Emily and Christina

Saucer MagnoliaUsually they bloom in MarchPink and white flowers.

Saucer MagnoliaIn the Spring, they have    flowers,The rain makes them grow.

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This native evergreen tree has shiny green leaves, large 8-inch flowers and cones with small fruits and red seeds.

Southern MagnoliaMatilda and Savannah

The magnolia treeBeautiful, big, white flowers.My favorite tree.    

Magnificent tree,A lot in the SouthGrows a lot.Nice shadeOverheadLeans a lotIt's big,Awesome!

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 A deciduous tree, crape myrtle grows to 25 feet tall, with smooth bark, green leaves, and summer blossoms.

My beauty tree.A tree that has smooth light brown bark. It has beautiful flowers.The flowers have four petals.

Crape Myrtle has leavesRain makes it growA tree is growingPeople come to see it growEvery tree has a trunk. Many trees grow tall.You will love them!

Crape Myrtle Noah and Addie

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This small maple grows to about 12 feet tall, with star-like leaves. It is native to Japan and China.

Japanese Maple Connor  and  Lucas

Japanese MapleAwesome seed podsPretend you are in JapanAmazing leavesNow plant themExperts are studyingSmooth barkExamine the star-like leaves.

Japanese Maple is awesome.It feels like a net you can fold.You can pretend that it is an eagle's wing.

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 The mugo is an evergreen native to Japan that grows 3 to 20 feet tall.  It has needles anddark brown cones.

Mugo PineGriffin

My special tree is for meUnder the skyGreatOrnamental.

PrettyIt is fun to watch growNobody wants to hurt it.Evergreens.

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This native maple is a deciduous tree that grows 80 feet tall. It has red fall color, red seed pods and winged fruit. 

Red Maple Amanda and Alex

The seed pod is red.The trunk is brown and very tall.It is deciduous.

Red leaves in fallExciting mapleDeciduous tree.Maple treeAwesome treePlanted by schoolLeaves are green   in SpringExcellent, red maple

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 This native deciduous tree grows to 60 feet tall. It has bean pod-like fruit and white, yellow, and purple flowers.

Southern Catalpa Grace and Aye Mow

Catalpa tree hasBright pink or purple flowersIt's a pretty tree.

Beautiful is a Catalpa TreeIt makes me so happy.When I see it, it makes me shine.When I see it, it makes me want to pick it. As beautiful as it is, nobody should cut it down.Nothing is as beautiful as a Catalpa Tree.

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The deciduous black gum is a  native tree that grows to 80 feet tall and can live to be 450 years old. Its fruit is used to make juice.

Black Gum Phillip and Hein

Tupeloes are big.They grow in Carolina.Four hundred years old.

(Black Gum trees are sometimes called Tupelo Trees.  You can buy Tupelo honey.)

Brown barkLeaves are bigAwesome flowersColorful treeKind of big.

Great for me to climbUnder the ground are roots.My special tree.

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 This native, deciduous tree with compound leaves grows 60 feet tall. The yellow fall leaves do not stay on the tree very long.

Green Ash  Keith and Shine

Green leavesRot on green ashExcellent ashEnormous for leavesNeed Leaves

About ash treesStill hardHas dark bark.

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This small tree, the North Carolina state flower, usually grows 10 to 20 feet tall and 4 to 6 inches in diameter.

DogwoodSam, Meredith, Fernanda, Leif

Dogwood’s trunk is longbut not as long as minebecause mine stretchesall the way around the world and it only stretches to me

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Red CedarNaomi, Danny, Melody, Brooke

I love the Red Cedar.I love the Red Cedar.I love the Red Cedar.And how about you?

Red cedar is actually part of the juniper family and is not a cedar at all. It provides the wood that is used widely in cedar drawers.

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This tree, 98–115 feet tall, is also called the Carolina pine or bull pine. It is native to North Carolina.

Loblolly PineMarley, Bryan, Maria, Jonah, Virginia

My tree is big like a giantMy tree has rootsMy tree has needlesMy tree has pine conesThey are shaped like knivesMy tree is under the sol

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American ElmMax, Fidel, Martin, Jonathan P.

Leaves in the trees are very very small

But trees becomevery, very tall.

These trees produce a flat fruit called a samara that ripens in the spring. The American elm can live for several hundred years.

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Willow oaks can grow to be 100 feet tall. The trees bloom in mid-spring, produce acorns in the fall, and have leaves shaped like willow leaves.

Willow OakChloe, Lincoln, Kyle, Jonathan C.

My tree’s roots are like old fingersThe tree’s bark feels like a razor

The branches hang like an old man

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Pussy WillowElla, Griffin, Owen, Will, Juan

Different All the other trees are tallerWhite buds fall no moreFluffy caterpillars in the grass.

This tree produces fuzzy silver gray catkin flowers that appear in late winter or early spring. It is native to North Carolina.

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The tulip tree, also called the white or yellow poplar, is actually a type of magnolia. It is native to North Carolina.

Tulip TreeNina, Wendy, Jayla, Carlos

The tulip tree smells of pineThe colors are so divine

The branches swayin the breezeThe lines in the treesLook like a streamIn the summer

It smells delightful

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Fig TreeEleanor, Grant, Ruben, Denise

Leaves are like handsFruits like balloons

Branches like fingers

White green ice cream 

The fig tree produces an edible fruit that is rich in fiber and calcium and is important to humans and wildlife.

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These yellow-flowered trees, native to Asia, bloom in early summer. They produce yellow to brown seed pods.

 Goldenrain Tree Sam, Meredith, Fernanda, Leif

 

Ants red and blackCrawl up the trunk

Go up, up, upSome go down

Lines all over the tree

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MimosaLeonardo, Jorge, Kate, Cameron

Mimosa is spotted like a leopard

The branches are like butterflies flying

It is as gray as nightAnd hard as brick

The mimosa tree with its distinctive leaves, spicy fragrance and silky flowers is also called a silk tree.

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Red, pink, or purple flowers bloom all over the redbud tree in April before the leaves appear.

RedbudLeonardo, Jonathan C.

Tan grande como un papá que  huele a flores. 

Tus hojas son verdes y tu tallo es suave.    Eres especial porque 

tienes unas flores preciosas.

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Weeping MulberryDenise and Kyle

Tan grande como un cielo que huele a pasto.

Tus hojas son extrañaspero tu tallo es suave.Me gusta tu tamaño. Eres especial porqueeres como un padre.

This tree with its bright green leaves was planted on campus to feed the silkworms that depend on mulberry leaves as their primary food source.

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Persimmon trees, native to North Carolina, produce an edible fruit in the fall. Persimmon is a native American word that means “dry fruit."

PersimmonElla and Carlos

Tan grande como un dinosaurio que huele a

primavera.Tus hojas son verdes y

amarillas.Tu tallo es como el chocolate.Eres especial porque me das

sombra.

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Sweet GumMeredith, Marley, Jorge

Tan grande como un monstruo que huele a vegetales. Tus

hojas tienen muchos coloresy tu tallo es aspero. 

Eres especial porque eres como un hermano.

In fall, the star-shaped leaves turn brilliant orange, red and purple.This tree produces a fruit that drops to the ground as a spiky ball.

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Red MapleJayla and Maria

Tan grande como un ...dinosaurio que huele a flores.  

  Tus hojas tienen perfume delicioso   y tu tallo es arrugado.     Eres especial porque 

me cuidas como mi primo.

 Maple seeds are contained in a flat nutlet shaped like a set of wings that spin like a helicopter when they fall from the tree.

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Shagbark HickoryPeyton, Brooke

Tan grande como una jirafa que huele a frambuesa.Tus hojas son suaves 

pero tu tallo es escamoso.Eres bonito porque 

eres como una madre.

Mature trees are identifiable by shaggy bark growing on the trunk.  Squirrels love the nuts of this native tree.

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This native tree is a member of the walnut family. The wood is used for building materials and for fuel.

Mockernut HickoryKaia, Juan, Ruben

Tan alto como una jirafa que huele a fresa.

Tus hojas son  lisas,pero tu tallo es aspero. 

Me gustan tus bellos colores.Eres especial porque eres muy

grande

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White OakMelody, Jonathan P.

Tan  grande  como  un  dinosaurioque huele  a  fresas.

Tus  hojas  son verdesy tu  tallo  es  arrugado.

Me  gustas porque eres bonito.

Eres  especial  porqueme  das  aire.

This native tree produces acorns which reach maturity in 120 days, fall from the tree 25 days later, and are eaten by birds and squirrels.

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This hearty fast-growing evergreen with its distinctive blue-green foliage is often used as a hedge or windbreak.

Leyland Cypress Max, Will, Fernanda

Tan  grande  como  un  dinosurioque huele  a  helado.

Tus  hojas   son  extrañaspero me  gusta  tu  tamaño.

Eres  especial  porque   eres  el  árbol  más  grande que he

visto.

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The southern sugar maple, also called the Florida maple or hammock maple, has bell-shaped flowers. The seeds are one inch long. 

Southern Sugar MapleCarlos and Olivia

Helicopter Wings 

The seeds have wings,

like a helicopter,flying when 

the wind blows.It sounds like paper.

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The black cherry is the tallest of the cherry trees. Black cherry trees often grow near fences and power lines because birds drop the seeds there.

Black CherryAva and Jyheim

White Whipped Cream 

So whiteSo yummy

With a flowerIn my tummy

Flower Petals It is whitelike snowand it fallstotheground.

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In the bark of the ash tree you can see diamond shapes. Its branches are opposing V branches. There are 18 types of ash trees in the United States.

Green AshIsiah, Mads and Toby

The Battleship Leaf

It’s a battleshipThat has been battlingThe inch worm army.

It got shot,But it did not crash.

Karate Chop Leaf

Sharp like aChopper

KnifeEeee-ya!

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Post oaks can grow to be 74 feet tall with one inch long acorns. These trees are used to make railroad tracks.

Post OakEhkhay Ler Moo, Haydan

and Margaret

The Post Oak Leaf 

A soft gloveHolding a bumpy

handkerchiefWith 10 points

And 21 inches long.

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This native tree has different types of leaves which turn yellow, orange, pink and scarlet in the fall. The leaves smell like root beer and can be used to make tea.

SassafrasJake, Michael and Emma

Mitten Leaf

Like a mittenJust lyingAround.

It’s all smoothJustNot

The back.

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The winged elm got its name because its bark peels off the sides of the branches. The smallest North Carolina elm, its flowers grow in clusters.

Winged ElmHenry and Jayshawn

Mr. Skinny

It is skinnyAnd tallLike me,But it isA tree

MovingWith

The wind.

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 Leaves of the elm tree can be single or double serrated. Fully mature elm trees can live for 300 years.

Winged ElmGordon and Iris

Christmas tree leaf,Christmas tree leaf.Green and round,Little and skinny

And on a branch on the ground.

Leaf of the Elm,Leaf of the Elm.Looks like seaweed,Feels smooth.Has serrated edges,Has serrated edges.

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This tree can grow to be 100 feet tall.  If the tree is cut down, the trunk can still grow. The shortleaf pine is also known as the Rosemary pine.

Shortleaf Pine  Grissom, Hannah and Ta Eh Ler

Pine Tree

Pine, pineBig and tall

Tall and roundAnd a branch on the

ground.

Tall Tree

Thetreeissotall.

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The red tip photinia can be trimmed to look like a bush and can be used as a fence. The leaves are green in spring and summer and turn red in the fall.

Red TipMay Mya Noe and Sam

Red Tip Tree

Stinky flower,Clean leaf.

Rusty, rusty, With sharp teeth.

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The fruit of the scarlet oak is one inch long acorns. Its leaves turn dark red in fall. The scarlet oak's female flowers are hard to see, but its male flowers are bright green.

Tiny Acorn 

Troval, trovalGrows to be 1 inch long,

Grows the be 100 feet tall.

Acorn 

Spinning top,With scales all over.

Tiny and brownAnd a seed inside.

Scarlet OakMs. Wilkins Class

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