yellow birch

Also known as Golden Birch, Swamp Birch

Yellow birch anchors the northern hardwood forests of North America, often germinating on mossy nurse logs that eventually rot away to leave mature trees balanced on distinctive stilted roots. Its bronze-gold bark peels into paper-thin horizontal ribbons, and broken twigs release a sharp, refreshing scent of wintergreen caused by natural methyl salicylate. A vital keystone for wildlife, it feeds songbirds with winter catkin seeds and shelters wood warblers in its dense canopy.