A walk in the vernal woods can provide wondrous experiences.

Perhaps you have taken the time to admire the emergent green leaves that bathe the boughs and branches of our native trees, casting a misty halo of light.

Your eyes move downward, examining textures and colors as varied and diverse as the species that comprise our forests. Suddenly, a surprising gleam deep in the woods catches your eye. A group of trees stand out noticeably, almost shining due to their element clear, gray bark extending from their trunks out to thousands of branches.

Upon closer examination, you note a luxuriant growth of mosses intermingled with the mottling of lichens, adding to the beauty and grace of these stately trees.

If you've ever visited Holly Ridge Conservation Area in Stoddard County, General Watkins Conservation Area in Scott County, Trail of Tears State Park or Kelso Sanctuary in Cape Girardeau County, you may have guessed that the tree that I'm referring to is `Fagus grandifolia,' commonly known as American beech.

Of course, if you've admired this tree in its natural habitat, then you'll know there is another, rather unfortunate, distinguishing characteristic about the bark that I've failed to mention. Along trails and other areas frequented by humans, the smooth light gray bark of the American beech is often disfigured by carvings (especially initials) that remain as scars for the life of the tree. Cuts or wounds in the bark are sealed over by the rapid formation of cork cambium, very much like a scab on human skin.

Evidently, this vandalistic practice is deeply rooted in human tradition. About 237 years ago, a young Daniel Boone killed a black bear that had taken refuge up an American beech tree. How do we know this? Because Daniel was enterprising enough to record this event on the very tree in which it took place -- "D. Boone cilled a bar on tree in year 1760."

Very interesting, but the tradition didn't start with Daniel Boone. The practice of carving on beech bark traces back to the beginning of European literature. Our word `book' comes from the Anglo-Saxon `boc,' meaning a letter or character, which in turn derives from the Anglo-Saxon `beece,' for beech.

American beech was recognized by the colonists, who already knew the famous, closely related European beech. In the early days of America's virgin forests, beech trees covered a large part of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and central Michigan.

Sadly, the majority of these trees were immediately destined for destruction. Early pioneers quickly learned that the beech was a sign of good soil. American beech loves what the farmer loves -- rich limestone overlain by deep, level, dark loams.

There are a few remnant groves of beech in Missouri that were spared from axe and plow. In its Missouri range, beeches grow on sandy and clayey soils of Crowley's ridge, or in rich wooded ravines, slopes and small valleys bordering streams.

American beech is encountered more frequently on the cooler and wetter north-facing slopes. Here, they represent a transition between the beech-maple forests to the east and the prairie and oak-hickory forests to the west.

In Missouri, American beech is found only in Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Madison, Perry, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne counties.

Other common names for American beech include Carolina beech, white beech, red beech, gray beech and ridge beech. It is a slow growing tree that often produces sucker shoots, resulting in the formation of clumps or groves of beech. Flowering occurs in late April or early May. The fruit, a one-seeded nut that occurs singly or in groups of two to three, matures and drops by the first heavy frost.

Large seed crops generally are produced every two to three years. The large oily seeds are important to many species of wildlife, especially squirrels, chipmunks and black bears. At least 15 species of birds, including ruffled grouse, wood duck and turkey, consume beech nuts.

Passenger pigeons, now extinct, relied almost exclusively on the mast of beech nuts to feed typical flocks numbering by the million. Pioneers fattened their Thanksgiving turkeys and hogs on beech nuts.

Native Americans and pioneers ate the nuts raw, pulverized them into a flour or used them as a thickener of soups and stews. The high fat and nutritive value of beech nuts can be attributed to the tree's Latin name, `Fagus,' which means `to eat.'

For those of us concerned with growing old gracefully, the American beech provides a splendid example. Regardless of age, the smooth, gray bark of this tree remains tight and wrinkle free even on 300-to-400-year-old individuals.

Consider utilizing this unique tree species in your home landscape. Mature specimens reach heights of 70 to 120 feet and provide dense shade, an essential resource during the summer swelter.

The leaves turn yellow or bronze in autumn, frequently hanging on the branches all winter, giving added interest. Pioneers collected the leaves in autumn to fill their mattresses. A settler wrote in 1862: "The smell is grateful and wholesome, they do not harbor vermin, are very elastic and may be replenished annually without cost."

American beech grows best in association with other trees and is excellent for background plantings and framing.

For more information on where you can visit forests harboring American beech trees in Southeast Missouri, contact the Missouri Department of Conservation at (573) 290-5730, or write Southeast Service Center, 2303 County Park Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63701.

Amy Salveter is a natural history regional biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation