Oak

Oak trees are are deciduous, which means they lose their leaves in the winter. The leaves grow alternately, not directly opposite each other on the twigs. They are about 5-9 inches long and 3-5 inches wide, red oak leaves being slightly larger than white oak. The leaves are lobed, with 7-11 lobes on each leaf. The tips of the lobes on red oak are pointed and those on white oak are rounded. Both red oak (Quercus rubra) and white oak (Quercus alba) trees can be found along this trail. They are native to North America.

Oak trees produce acorns, a favorite food for squirrels. Squirrels collect acorns for the winter and sometimes dig holes and store them in the ground. Most winters, they don't even eat half of what they collected. The result is that squirrels are responsible for planting baby oak trees. The twin trunk oak in front of you may well be the result of two red oak acorns being buried side by side, and the resulting two trees grew so close to each other that they grew together.

Acorns are also eaten by deer, rabbits, and many birds, from tiny nuthatches to large turkeys. One oak tree can produce over 2,000 acorns in a year


Red oak leaves

White oak leaves

White oak leaves in October

Red oak acorns

Red oak leaf in autumn

White oak in autumn

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