Coast Live Oak

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.

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Left Coast Live Oak, Right Valley Oak