Blog posts often seem to write themselves as this one did. In a previous post, I explained that bald cypress and dawn redwood trees are very similar and distinguishing between these conifers can be challenging, especially when they are young. Click here to go to that post. One way to identify bald cypress trees are to locate knees or woody projections that grow up from the roots. I recently saw these knees (pneumatophores) in several different locations in Georgia and Florida. Why do you think the bald cypress grows knees? (Look below the photos.)

Since bald cypresses often grow in swampy areas, scientists think the purpose of the knees is to transport air to drowned roots underground, as well as to provide structural support. Knees are sent up when a tree is about ten years old, but if a tree is in a lawn, it may not produce knees at all.