Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yep, those are Sycamore trees, Platanus occidentalis. The bark is very distinctive. It's normally a floodplain tree, but it does well in city landscapes.
Birch is usually a multi-trunked tree, and the diameter of the trunks is never as large as seen in this photo. Also, white birch doesn't have these big patches of bark color. The sycamore has smooth bark, while that of birch seems to be more of the type that peels laterally.
Not a trre person but I had tons of those trees on 5 acres I once owned ...was told they were BIRCH..White Birch!
These are definitely NOT birch trees. In the photo, note the tree limb in the upper left corner of the photo. Birch trees do not have mottled bark like Sycamore trees. Sycamore is pretty much the only native tree with such mottled back characteristics. (A good way to remember the name is because the tree looks a little "sick".) I think there are some trees from Australia with a somewhat similar appearance, but these are older street trees and Sycamores have been used quite prevalently as street trees since they tolerate urban conditions rather well.
Looks like a sycamore to me too. Can you post a picture of a leaf? Then, we could make a more positive ID.
You can see the leaves in the photo- they are a little bit like maple leaves. Definitely Sycamore.
An arborist might call these trees "London Planes", which is I think technically more correct.
This from the web: "The common name for the genus is 'plane' in British English, 'sycamore' or 'planetree' in American English. Variations of 'platane', 'platano' are used in much of Europe, names derived from the Greek 'platanos' or 'platus', meaning broad, and referring to the leaves. 'Chinar', 'chenar' or other variations of the Persian name are used in the region from Turkey to Kashmir. In Kashmir itself, the name 'buin' (derived from the goddess Bhavani) was originally used. In Arabic, the name 'dulb' is used (though the name is also sometimes applied to some maples)."
Sycamores are one of my favorite trees. Their seeds and leaves have a unique fragrance.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.