Michael Simpson, PhD
Registered Professional Biologist
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Co-authored Articles (26)
How to
Identify Edible Mushrooms
center Mushrooms make a delicious addition to pizza, pasta, salads, and more. That said, it’s best to leave searching for wild, edible mushrooms to professional mycologists (scientists who study fungi). If you still wa...
How to
Identify Poisonous Mushrooms
Learning how to identify poisonous mushrooms is the most important part of foraging for edible mushrooms. ''Amanita'' is a very common genus of mushroom, and some of the most toxic types of mushrooms belong in this group...
How to
Identify Hickory Trees
Hickory - belonging to a section of the walnut family - is a canopy tree that is prevalent in eastern North America, although other species of hickory have been known to exist in Europe, Africa and Asia. The hickory tree...
How to
Identify Oaks by the Acorns
There are approximately 500 species of oak trees all over the world, almost all of them in the northern hemisphere. They can be deciduous, losing their leaves in winter, or evergreen (live oaks), keeping their leaves all...
Recognizing a Deathcap Mushroom: 13 Characteristics to Look For
Everything you need to know to stay safe and avoid toxic death caps while you forage The death cap mushroom (''Amanita phalloides'') is one of the deadliest mushrooms in the world. Because of the serious threat it poses,...
How to
Identify Pine Trees
There are many qualities that make pine trees well-known, such as their fresh smell and useful wood. However, they can be difficult to identify from trees that look similar, such as firs or spruces. Examining the needles...
How to Read a Cladogram (and Make Your Own)
Cladograms are an important tool used by scientists to understand common ancestors and the characteristics of certain animals. If you're studying evolution in biology, you're likely to encounter a cladogram. At first gla...
How to
Identify Oak Leaves
With over sixty different oak species in the U.S alone and hundreds more across the globe, it can be challenging to identify oak leaves. To help narrow down a specific tree, they can be distinguished into two basic categ...
How to
Identify Dependent and Independent Variables
Whether you’re conducting an experiment or learning algebra, understanding the relationship between independent and dependent variables is a valuable skill. Learning the difference between them can be tricky at first,...
How to
Identify Walnut Trees
Quickly ID walnut tree varieties with our handy guideIf you live in the central-eastern part of the United States, you've probably seen walnut trees in parks or low-lying areas between rivers, creeks, and dense woods. Th...
How to Determine the Difference Between Palm Tree Species
Gain quick palm identification skills with our helpful guide Palm trees are so named because many of them feature fan-shaped, or palmate, fronds. There are over 2,600 species of palm trees, including some that can withst...
How to
Identify Lemon Tree Diseases
Common citrus diseases--plus what to do to save your fruit if your tree is infected Lemon trees make a beautiful addition to any yard or grove. Unfortunately, they’re susceptible to a wide variety of diseases, includin...
The Sugar Maple: Key Characteristics & How to Identify Them
Examine the leaves, bark, and fruit of a sugar mapleThe sugar maple tree (''Acer saccharum'') grows abundantly in the northeastern part of North America: the northeastern United States (including as far south as Tennesse...
How to
Identify Oak Trees
There are literally hundreds of species of oak trees located in various areas of the world. This popular tree has been a valuable source of shade and beauty for centuries and continues to be a common tree in landscapes t...
How to
Identify Cedar Trees
A number of trees are given the common name of "cedar" in the US, despite belonging to other genera, such as the ''Juniper'' genus. For instance, you're likely to find the Western Red Cedar, the Eastern Red Cedar, or the...
How to
Identify Hickory Nuts
Hickory nuts are the fruit of the hickory tree, which is in the walnut family. There are over 16 species of hickory tree, and they share some similar characteristics, such as a compound leaf structure, a straight and nar...
How to
Identify a Sycamore Tree
Sycamore trees are abundant in the eastern half of the United States, and their hybrid relatives are popular across Europe. These massive, fast-growing trees are loved for their shade and their resistance to splitting. I...
How to
Identify Cherry Trees
Cherry trees are known for their beautiful blossoms. They grow in temperate climates across North America, Europe and Asia. Cherry trees are often confused with peach and plum trees, but it's not difficult to identify ch...
How to
Identify Poison Sumac
You probably know about poison ivy and even poison oak, but poison sumac can be a little bit harder to spot. It’s a plant that’s native to the eastern United States and Canada, and it can cause a red, itchy rash and ...
How to
Identify Elderberry
The elderberry plant is a fruiting plant that is native to North America, Europe, and parts of South America. The berries of the plant are often used in homeopathic remedies for pain and the common cold. If you want to i...
