How Do You Identify A Tennessee Shrub?
Many kinds of shrubs are native to Tennessee and they are not difficult to identify. Whether you are hiking in the mountains, wandering down a country road or in the middle of one of Tennessee’s largest cities, you can identify a shrub with the use of a plant field guide. By noting the specific characteristics of a shrub you will be able to match it with your field guide and learn its name. Put on your gloves and carefully remove a small branch from the shrub you want to identify, using pruners. Make sure you have at least one distinguishable leaf, as well as a sample of any berries or flowers. Place the branch inside a sealable plastic bag so none of the shrub branch components falls out. Write in your notebook the environment in which you found the shrub. Was it a dry place or was it more of a wet, muddy location? Was any water source, such as a lake or river, close by? Were you in the Appalachian Mountains or on a west Tennessee farm? Note as much as you can so you will have a clear
