Twigs are very useful in identifying woody plants. This Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) twig has most of the identifying characteristics one can find on a twig clearly visible: Terminal bud (for Tulip Poplars it looks like a duck's bill), smaller lateral buds (also reminiscent of a duck's bill), large leaf scars with scattered vascular bundles, lenticels (dot-like bumps along the twig's surface), round in cross section, and stipule scars (thin lines almost circling the twig).

Location: Burke Lake Park, Fairfax County, VA