There are 33 different species of oak listed in The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees – Eastern Region. All except the English Oak, Quercus robur, are native. Most oak species grow into tall trees, reaching heights of 50 to 100 feet.
Oaks are not only tall and majestic trees, evoking visions of the historic past and characters like Robin Hood in Nottingham Forest, they are nature’s pantry. Whether you want to plant a wildlife attracting tree, or wish to go out into the woodlands in search of wildlife, you’ll want to know about oaks.
Nature’s Pantry
A multitude of animals depend on oak mast, otherwise known as acorns. Indeed the success of the oak crop causes a direct impact on their breeding success in the following spring. Among the animals which eat acorns are: squirrels, bears, wild hogs, raccoons, small rodents, and deer. Birds which eat acorns include: northern flicker, red-headed woodpecker, blue jay, rough grouse, bobwhite quail, and wild turkey.
In the spring oak tree flowers hang down in little green bunches. In the fall cute, little, acorn cups, fit for pixies to drink from, litter the ground beneath the oak boughs. If you are lucky enough to be blessed with an oak tree in your yard, like I am, you will know all about the masses of leaves they support. The thick piles of bouncy leaves create some good exercise at leaf raking time and the sturdy leaves are difficult to compact for the trash bag or compost pile.
Do you have an oak tree in your neighborhood? If so, do you know what kind it is? In my suburban Kansas back yard I have both a White Oak, Quercus alba and a Red Oak, Quercus rubra. Pin Oak, Quercus palustris, and Bur Oak, Quercus macrocarpa, also grow well in my area. I have a great fondness for oak trees. Do you?
- Read more about White Oak – Georgia Native Plant Society plant of the year for 2009.
Angel Oak and Acorns photos are reproduced here under a creative commons license from FlickR.
The Beginner’s Nature book Trees, available from UsborneKC.com, is perfect for kids who are curious about the natural world. Robin Hood is a book in the Usborne Young Reading series.
I recommend Audubon Field Guides for trees from Amazon.com.
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We have a few oak trees on the property (not near the house). I think they’re pin oak, but they may be white oak. We mostly have buckeyes, poplar, birch, beech, and maple.