Alders in the yard

 

Red Alder catkins - alnus rubra

The last couple of days I have been examining the alders in my yard. I have 2 different species of alder growing around the house.  A few years ago I planted some red alders (click here for post about the start of the process). They are not native to Kodiak, but a bunch of them have been springing up around town.  I like them because unlike the native sitka alder they turn into tall trees. There are not many tall deciduous trees that grow on Kodiak.  They sort of remind me of the ash trees I remember as a kid in New England.  The sitka alder also does get pretty big - like 20 feet high - but it always more of a bush with multiple  trunks bending out and up. 

Anyway, I initially planted the red alders in my yard because I wanted tall trees. But I have come to appreciate their 'flowers' in the spring.  The red alders have all these long red and yellow catkins that hang from their branches in the spring.  They are very pretty.

I like the sitka alders too.  I think they are very much an under appreciated tree.  The sitka alder that I planted in my yard has turned into a HUGE bush. It also seems to hang onto its leaves in the Fall far later than all the other trees in my yard. And then in the winter the multiple curving trunks have their own beauty.

Patrick

Sitka Alder - Alnus sinuata

Sitka alder

red alder

sitka alder

sitka alder