dangit, I meant to post this in the Name That Plant Forum. Logged on here and just started typing like mad. Will re-post there as soon as I feel up to more mad typing. Sorry.

I guess it could be a crape myrtle. If not that, then a viburnum (like V. prunifolium).

#2 looks like sourwood.

#3 looks like black gum (Nyssa sylvatica).

#4 does look like mapleleaf viburnum from here. The leaves can be very variable - I've seen plants that look very different from others. A close look at the newly forming leaf buds for next year might help.

Thank you - all of those answers would be great. I love getting the answers I want!! #1 there is the only thing that could have been planted with intent, and viburnums I have in droves.It's not familiar at all, so I leave it and see what happens next year.

I'd LOVE the second to be sourwood. There are several here - wish one would flower. Two weeks ago I looked at sourwood to buy (complex story - get 'em off our lot for super cheap thing) and didn't recognize them. They weren't in good shape.

Nyssa sylvatica is also desirable. I just took a walk and found a tree form down the road - very dark bark, gnarly and lots of personality. Something I have read up on and wanted. Too bad the photo one is growing 4' away from a native magnolia. Have to see if I have other good specimens...

Thank you for the help. I'm having a time with the identification issues. Previously I had no great need to name things - it either belonged in the woods or not. I did try to hire an arborist but that didn't go well - they had far different ideas than I and it became clear quickly that I'd need another type of tree person to assist. It's actually quite difficult to find someone with the same ideas. A lot of the natives are just labeled "junk" and dismissed - like various pines. NO WAY will I take out all my pines. It was eye opening for me.

Just for comparison, I went out and picked some leaves off different mapleleaf viburnum plants. The top 3 leaves came from the same plant - a very vigorous guy in the front yard. The bottom two leaves came from two other plants.

Those are good samples. My neighbor has some mapleleaf naturalized, it has berries so is obvious what it is but does not look a lot like some I have. Uggh!

Also looked a a zillion photos of sourwood and some look maybe like mine, others not at all...guess I'll keep with my "everything flowers" theory! I have those trees in 70'-80' and all last year, this year looked for flowers, seeds, got nothing. Prefers shade is all I discovered. The adventures of a backyard explorer are trying I tell you. :)

wanted to say thanks for the IDs here - I think you are right on target about the sourwood and Nyssa - I was getting them backwards but spent the day figuring these two out, clearing around the ones I have found, books in hand. I learned two more plants.

Glad to help. They are both quite common at my house, so it was easy!