Guide

Look closerPlants

Opposite buds and the MAD Cap Horse twig test

November to March

On a bare branch, check whether the buds sit in pairs directly across from each other or are staggered one at a time. Paired buds very likely mean a maple, ash, dogwood or horsechestnut (buckeye), or a shrub like a viburnum or elderberry.

Why this time of year

With the leaves gone, bud arrangement is easy to see, and it quickly narrows down which tree you are looking at. Most trees have staggered buds, so paired buds stand out.

How to notice it

  1. Pick a low twig you can reach and look at where the buds are. Are two buds sitting directly across from each other at the same spot, or are they staggered one by one along the twig?
  2. If they are staggered, you have the more common kind (oak, for example); move on to another tree and compare.
  3. If they are in pairs, think MAD Cap Horse: Maple, Ash, Dogwood, Caprifoliaceae (a plant family) and Horsechestnut, plus shrubs like viburnums and elderberry. Check the next twig up the branch to be sure the pairs repeat.
  4. Treat it as a strong clue, not a rule with no exceptions: one native dogwood, the alternate-leaved dogwood, has staggered leaves and buds.

Try this with kids: Be a bud detective: find a twig where the buds come in matching pairs, like tiny pairs of ears. Can you find three different trees that do it?

Phrase to know: “Opposite buds” are two buds that sit directly across the twig from each other at the same spot.

Sources

  • dendro.cnre.vt.eduVirginia Tech Dendrology: most species alternate; opposite gives a very good chance of maple, ash, dogwood, Caprifoliaceae or horsechestnut/buckeye; buds grow where leaf meets twig so follow the same arrangement. Students remember this with the acronym 'MAD Cap Horse'.
  • extension.unh.eduUNH Extension, Mind Your B's to Identify Winter Trees: winter ID by branching, buds, bark; opposite-branching groups maples, ash, horse chestnut, dogwoods, viburnums, elderberry.
  • gobotany.nativeplanttrust.orgGo Botany: alternate-leaved dogwood is the only dogwood with alternate leaves (exception to the rule).

Checked against these sources on October 9, 2026.

In the guide for November, December, January, February, March

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