The hunt for white ash!

Source: mushroomexpert.com

My first day at the Intervale Conservation Nursery, and I was not disappointed. Seth and I spent the day collecting seeds, more specifically that of the elusive white ash. The amazing thing about seed collection at the ICN is that they do it all by hand. Seth and Mike are constantly on the lookout when driving around the area, scouting what could be new stock for the current or next season. Seth and I headed out onto some Intervale land on a tip that there was a few white ash trees to see what we could find. At this point in the season, differentiating white from green ash is difficult (nearly impossible for me-- but Seth's a pro!). Things to look for included a U-shaped leaf scar on twigs, which is generally different from the more D-shaped leaf scar on a green ash. The difference is subtle, and it's worth mentioning that the leaf scar on the green ash also tends to be more inverted.

After exploring the area, we did come across a white ash tree, and spent some time collecting seeds (utilizing a ladder and hook) to take back with us. We tried a few other spots around town where white ash had been spotted in previous years, but were unsuccessful in finding any more samaras (fruit with a flattened wing as pictured below).