Black Birch (Betula lenta). A tree that’s common around my cabin.

It’s a tree that is monoecious, meaning it has male and female flowers on the same plant/tree. The flowers of birch trees are called catkins. The photo, above, is of male catkins, on a branch I found on the ground after some wild winds we had recently. These male catkins emerge as summer turns to autumn and will stay on the tree (unless there are wild winds) during the winter months. They will release their pollen in the spring.

Just in time to catch those pollen grains, the female catkins appear in early spring. Once fertilized, green cones are formed. Then in early autumn the green cones turn brown and burst open dispersing the seeds of the cones.

As those leaves turn golden, more male catkins are formed and the cycle continues.