The Madman And The Mighty Oak

If you can only plant one tree in your backyard, make it an oak tree. If you have room for a second one, make that one an oak, too. That’s what the madman says. And he’s not alone.

In his new book, The Nature of Oaks, Professor Doug Tallamy writes, “if you are at all interested in contribution to the conservation of local animals, or in enjoying the wonders of nature right at home, planting one or more oaks is an awfully good way to do those things.” If you recall, we mentioned Professor Tallamy in an earlier blog on planting for native wildlife. Anyway, the madman and Professor Tallamy aren’t the only ones who see the importance of oak trees.

Oaks Are Essential

Just last week, the madman came across an on-line article in Birds&Blooms.com entitled, “Why You Need an Oak Tree in Your Backyard.” While it provides shade for you, it will offer shelter and food for hundreds of birds and butterflies. In fact, Professor Tallamy calls the Oak an important Keystone tree because it supports the most biodiversity. A single Oak tree is essential to the lifecycle of 500+ moth and butterfly species – the exact number varies with the type of oak.

Red And White

Here in Connecticut, we have Red Oaks and White Oaks. Red Oaks have pointy leaves; White Oaks have rounded leaves. Sounds simple, right? But how many times have we told you that nothing in nature is simple? In a broad sense, Oak Trees are categorized as belonging to the White family or the Red family. To complicate matters, within the Red Oak family, the Red Oak (Quercus rubra) is a species. It is joined by Eastern Black Oak (Q. velutina), Scarlet Oak (Q. coccinea), Pin Oak (Q. palustris) and others.

The same goes for the White Oak (Quercus alba), a species in the White family. Other species in this group are Chestnut Oak (Q. montana), Swamp White Oak (Q. bicolor), Bur Oak (Q. macrocarpa), among others. The species within each group can often be hard to differentiate because these species easily hybridize, creating subspecies. The madman says you really need a micro-biology lab to get it all straight if it really matters to you.

Keep It Simple

For most of us, Red and White is good enough because trees in each family share some common traits. All Oak trees flower in late winter to early spring and are wind pollinated and form acorns. The difference is that White Oak acorns mature over the summer and drop in the fall. Red Oak acorns take 15 months (2 growing seasons) to mature and drop. Beyond that, White Oak acorns sprout the fall they drop while their red counterparts sprout the following spring.

The acorns are different from Red to White. We all know what an acorn looks like – a cylindrical nut with cap. Red Oak acorns tend to be shorter and fatter – the inside of the cap has tiny hairs. And, the outside of the cap is described as scaly. On the other hand, acorns in the white group have knobby caps and the insides are hairless.

Whites Are Sweeter – Reds Last Longer

White Oak acorns taste better. Most wildlife, especially the deer, prefer them. Since these acorns tend to sprout readily, the animals have to eat them quickly. After all the White Oak acorns have been eaten or have sprouted, animals turn to the red variety. These acorns actually offer more nutrition despite a more bitter taste. The bitter taste comes from a higher concentration of tannin.

Because Red Oak acorns won’t sprout until the following spring, they are ideal for hoarding – caching the Biologists call it. The madman often sits and watches the squirrels as they try to hide the acorns stuffed in their cheeks. Being paranoid, the squirrel makes sure no competitor is watching where he buries his prize. He often simply pretends to bury it then scurries off to the real hiding place. I’m not sure this really works for other squirrels, but it has fooled the madman on occasion.

Blue Jays Hoard The Most

Believe it or not, squirrels are not the biggest hoarders of acorns. The Jays win that prize, sometimes carrying an acorn 2 ½ miles before hiding it. In winter, nearly 67% of the Blue Jay’s diet comes from nuts, primarily acorns.

In fall, Jays pluck acorns from trees, eating their fill and stashing the rest. Each bird stores a couple in its throat then carries another in its beak when it heads to a caching site. It drops the acorns on the ground, but pounds them into the ground individually with its beak. Although all birds have a great memory for where they store food, they hide so many nuts that they lose some. These lost dinners will sprout in the spring, mostly in the madman’s garden beds.

Plan Ahead

Knowing how important the Oak tree is to our native ecology, are you ready to plant one? Good, but give your tree selection a little thought. Make sure your site has full sun and will accommodate a tree that will eventually get big and have a large canopy. Select an Oak tree with your particular soil conditions and USDA plant hardiness zone in mind. You can’t go wrong with Eastern White Oak (Q. alba), Northern Red Oak (Q. rubra), Eastern Black Oak (Q. velutina) or Scarlett Oak (Q. cocaine). A local nursery can help you pair the right tree to your yard.

Don’t Go Big

Here’s a tip from Professor Tallamy, don’t buy the biggest tree you find. Oak trees have a curious growth pattern. In the early years, they spend more energy developing a strong root system than above-ground growth. In a pot, they often develop complex root systems that make transplanting a challenge. You’ll have better luck with a seedling. Or do what the madman does: transplant a seedling forgotten by the birds or plant an acorn.

The Madman’s Collection

Over the years, the madman has collected a variety of acorns that have sprouted. Some he ordered by mail, others he gathered along the way. Most of these are winter hardy so they stay outside in pots he carefully maintains. But he has acquired some from southern climates that will not survive a Connecticut winter. These Southern Live Oaks (Q. virginiana ) are evergreen and live in the greenhouse.

Connecticut’s State Tree

The madman knows the trees in his collection will never get as big as Connecticut’s most famous Oak – The Charter Oak Tree that once stood in Hartford. Joseph Wadsworth hid Connecticut’s charter in this tree to keep it out of British hands centuries ago: check out the full story here. Unfortunately, nothing lives forever, and a storm uprooted the tree in the 1800s. But offspring of this tree have survived and are planted in various locations around our state. If you want to find one near you, here is a link to the data base maintained by Connecticut College.

We hope to search for some if we ever finish digging up our dahlias, cannas and glads. But now it’s time for some hot chocolate.