What is this?

[newbee 101]

Anyone know what kind of tree this is, and what is being secreted on the branches. The ants seem to like it.
I pulled this tree sapling when I was making a new bee yard this spring.
I couldnt just toss it, so I brought it home and transplanted it. It seems to be thriving.
http://www.acmepainting.com/tree.jpg
http://www.acmepainting.com/tree2.jpg
http://www.acmepainting.com/tree3.jpg

[samak]

Could those "secretions" actually be wooly alder aphids?


http://bugguide.net/node/view/1250/bgimage

http://www2.brevard.edu/jefrick/assets/alder%20scale%20hi.jpg

[berkshire bee]

It looks like one I have in my backyard. I cut it down to a 3 ft or so high stump every few years. It's not very big around. It always shoots up new branches and I let them grow until they start shading my herb garden, then cut it again. You might want to post on the gardenweb sight. I think they have a tree forum and have been a great help to me in the past. see below, and yes those may be aphids

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/trees/

[GRIMBEE]

looks like a Shagbark hickory to me, tree has edible nuts.;)

[miele]

Probably not a hickory. They usually have leaves in groups of 5 leaflets (sometimes 7). Do a google image search for "hickory leaf" and you'll see what I mean.

It might be a hornbean or hophornbeam, or something in the alder family (Betulaceae).

This is a pretty good website for photos of trees:

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/frame.htm

[GRIMBEE]

google search shagbark hickory and look, I gather nuts from the adult shagbark hickory and eat them raw. Also can be candied or used in hickory pie. yum. Really looks like shagbark but its still a sapling.

[miele]

newbee 101,
Try this: young or not, if it is a hickory, the leaves are "opposite". Each leaf (except the one at the tip) should be exactly on the opposite side of the stem as another leaf. If not, it's probably something else.