Bur or Burr Oak

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!

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