Naturalist Michael Wojtech will share his knowledge about local tree identification and bark at his lecture, “Bark: Get to Know Your Trees,” at the Darien Library on Tuesday, February 2 at 7:00 p.m.

The talk is free and is co-sponsored by Tree Conservancy of Darien, Darien Land Trust, Darien Nature Center and the Darien Library.

Wojtech will provide an exploration of bark, the one tree characteristic visible in every season. Traits most often used to describe tree species – leaves, buds and twigs, are high and out of site on most trees, or in the case of leaves, absent for half of the year.

In addition to teaching about species identification in local woods, Wojtech will explain why the large variety of bark characteristics exist, including why some species have smooth bark, thick and broken bark, or bark that peels away in curly strips. He will also be available to sign copies of his book, Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast.

Wojtech is a freelance writer, educator, illustrator, and photographer of many aspects of natural history, focusing mostly on trees. He spent his childhood roaming the pine barrens of southern New Jersey and now lives tucked into the woods of western Massachusetts.

After a 15-year career in business he decided to pursue his love of natural history and writing. He earned his master’s cegree in conservation biology from Antioch University New England, where he edited the journal Whole Terrain. His thesis at Antioch on tree bark became the basis for his book. To find out more about Michael Wojtech and his work, visit knowyourtrees.com.

The Darien library is located at 1441 Post Road in Darien. For more information on the lecture, email info@treeconservancyofdarien.org.