A single scale covers the buds of some trees, such as willows. The wax coating of many buds protects the embryonic tissues within from winter drying. Each bud is hidden under the expanded base of a leaf petiole, to be revealed only when the leaves of autumn are shed from the branches. In all trees, buds typically develop at the base of leaves, although they are not usually hidden by the leaf petiole as they are in the Sycamore. In fact, the distinctive combination of bud size, shape, and color along with the characteristic patterns of scar tissue left by shed leaves are important diagnostic tools used extensively in winter tree identification.
Many animals do feed on tree buds, particularly in the spring when the buds begin to swell.
However, no great harm is done, for on a typical tree fully half the buds will not open in the season following their formation. If a squirrel nibbles away two or three future branches from a mature oak, the nearest surviving bud will simply open to fill the void. Get in touch with a tree this winter, examine its finer details, and read the good news contained at the tip of each twig. This article may be reproduced for classroom use by students and educators but may not be reprinted otherwise without written consent from the Nature Center.