Quercus macrocarpa
 
Burr Oaks are my new favorite Oak Tree. I was introduced to them when I moved to Kansas. They are big, branchy, and beautiful! They have large, stereotypical oak-shaped leaves, and big, round acorns with a fringed cap.

It is an eastern oak, but it is tolerant of a number of climates, allowing it to spread further north and west than any other eastern oak species. It provided aid to European/American settlers by providing wood to make wagon repairs. They should have included that in Oregon Trail: “Repair your wagon wheels with Burr Oak wood before Grandma dies of dysentery.”

The acorns provide food for a large number of species, and based on the massive size of the Eastern Fox Squirrels I see eating them in my neighborhood, I would guess they are rather nutritious.
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Their leaves are all yellowing and falling now, since they are a deciduous species. I can’t wait to see them leaf out again in spring!

Quercus agrifolia         
 
Coast Live Oaks are the oak trees of my childhood. I remember stepping on their cup-shaped, pointy leaves barefoot – ouch! And then wondering why the “oak leaves” we cut out of construction paper for our Thanksgiving crafts didn’t look anything like that tiny, spiky leaf.

My mother planted two of them, one in front of our house in the Valley and one near our patio in at our house in the other valley. Her hope was that they would grow into the large, shady trees we would see when hiking, but alas! We moved before either could get that big. I will say the one in the Valley did get that big. I saw it as an adult, and its roots were pushing up the sidewalk, and massive branches were threatening the roof. Oops!

This evergreen oak provides food and habitats for more than 270 animal species! Their acorns are smaller and more elongated than those of the Valley Oak, but Acorn woodpeckers and squirrels don’t care.

Coast Live Oaks occur throughout California into Baja California. They are adapted for fire and germinate easily, sprouting from forgotten squirrel acorn caches. They are drought-tolerant but are also found in foggy areas of the coast. Their adaptability has made them more resilient than the Valley Oak.
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Next time you are making an oak leaf craft, cut out a tiny leaf with pointy spikes in honor of the Coast Live Oak.

​Quercus lobata

The Valley Oak is rather unique in California because it is deciduous. It also has lobe-shaped leaves that are what people traditionally think of as the oak leaf shape. It also gets very large and is quite picturesque.  

Valley Oaks are critical to two ecosystems: the Valley Oak Woodland and the Valley Oak Riparian Woodlands. Few woodlands remain as they have been plowed for agriculture. Riparian woodlands provide habitats for 67 bird species, more than any other California biome. Several threatened species also rely on this habitat, including Swainson’s Hawks, Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, Elderberry Longhorn Beetle, and the elusive Ringtail. These trees also provide homes for many cavity-nesting species and food for deer, rabbits, and rodents, and the large acorns are favorites of squirrels and acorn woodpeckers.

The Valley Oak is found in mostly temperate zones in California as far south as Malibu Creek Park. That is literally as far south as it goes. It shares the park with Coast Live Oaks and Shrub Oaks, so it is an oak-lover's paradise! Unfortunately, the Valley Oaks in the Santa Monica Mountains are not doing well. The USDA is monitoring them to evaluate their health and determine why they are ailing.
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If you encounter a Valley Oak, give its wide trunk a big hug!

Quercus berberidifolia

Some might consider Scrub Oak the least attractive oak on my list, but it provides food for birds, butterflies, and deer, and is super resilient! It is more shrub-shaped than tree-shaped, but if you have one in your yard, you can remove the lower branches to reveal the trunk.

Like other Oaks, it produces acorns. The Scrub Oaks’ acorns are tiny and round. You can also often find galls on these oaks. These are round, brown growths that are produced when certain species of wasps lay their eggs in the stem. Scrub Oaks are also a host plant for a number of butterflies and wasps, including one of my favorites, the California Sister!

California Scrub Oaks grow in coastal mountain ranges, inland valleys, and foothills. It is an evergreen, so in the fall and winter, when other parts of the world are brown, California retains some green, thanks in part to this versatile Oak!

This week, the focus will be Oak Trees! They are so beautiful and gnarled and live a long time. They provide habitats for so many species and food for many others. There are a wide variety across the US and they are all special in their own way. Stay tuned for more on these amazing trees! 

Odocoileus virginianus

In the United States, I have lived in California, Arizona, and Colorado, states where Mule Deer live. I helped raise rescued Mule Deer in Arizona, rehabilitate and release Mule Deer in California, and watch Mule Deer roaming through my mother’s yard in Colorado.

Now I live in Kansas, and we have White-Tailed Deer. Despite them being the most common deer species in North America, it has taken me some time to get used to them. At first, I thought they looked weird, like Mule Deer, but off somehow.

Luckily, I’ve had a few encounters with them. Twice while walking on the Konza Prairie, I turned a corner and there one was. Once it was a pair of does, the next time it was a single doe. I was much closer to them than I was comfortable, but I still had to walk by them. I talked to them the whole time to let them know I was not a threat, and none of them cared! I expected them to bolt off, white fluffy tail in the air at full alert. I doubt all of them are this mellow, but it was unexpected.

A little research revealed White-Tails are more likely to graze than Mule Deer, who prefer to browse on leaves. White-Tails will even raid fields of their crops!

I’m looking forward to becoming more familiar with this species of deer.

Maclura pomifera

I had never seen or even heard of a Hedge Apple until I moved to Kansas. I was with the birding group and kept seeing these round things on the ground. I thought they might be something similar to oak galls. When I asked what they were, people looked at me, confused, and said they were Hedge Apples. Hadn’t I ever seen one before? Well, no. 

The fruits aren’t edible, but apparently get quite large, about five inches across, and could seriously injure you should they fall on your head. Apparently, other than squirrels, most wildlife doesn’t particularly care for them. The ones I was seeing on the ground were brown, obviously old. Someone pointed out some that were growing on the tree along the road. This was summer, so they were still small. They mature in the fall. Some people do use them for decorations or to repel insects, and there has been some evidence that they do.

The tree is in the mulberry family and is native to the South and Central United States. The places I have seen them are probably described as hedgerows by the English – along the road and next to sidewalks. This is probably because they have spines and have been used as security fences. There are male and female plants, but I don’t know what a male looks like since I only know how to identify them by their fruit.

I want to learn more about these strange trees before next fall. I might even see if they really can repel insects!