Maybe this belongs in the mindless drivel section, but I believe it's also very helpful, especially for folks trying to identify what's in their forest. Buds can be the easiest sure fire way to identify a species. Here's a link to some of the characters a friend and I have made out of buds and bud scars. It's surprising how much they actually look like faces!
http://wildburlington.blogspot.com/2015/03/dichotomous-key-v-bud-scars.html
Also, lots of other interesting stuff on this blog for folks interested in woody plants.
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