Oaks In Bloom

You might not think of oak trees having flowers, but they do, although they are not at all showy. Many of them are in bloom right now and I took a few minutes this afternoon to capture some of them. I first noticed them on our regular dog walk and then I went back out with my camera. The opportunity was too good to pass up.

This is a pair of twin live oaks at the entrance to our property. They are right beside our road and I get to see them every day. They are young, with a trunk diameter of only a few inches, and are about 8 feet tall. I think they're Texas Live Oaks (Quercus fusiformis), also known as Escarpment Live Oaks.

 

In this close up, you can see the flowers buds, which are the green structures which look like a string of beads. None of these flower buds were open, but the flowers are yellow. You can also see last year's leaves which are the darker and larger ones. The new leaves are still small and a very light green.

Live oaks are interesting because even though they are deciduous, they keep their leaves throughout winter and then in late winter or early spring, they drop them while the leaves are still green. Within a 2 to 3 week period they flower and bud new leaves.

Next is a Texas Red Oak (Quercus buckleyi) which we pass on our dog walks. This tree is quite tall, about 30 feet. Red oaks are definitely rarer in our area than the live oaks.

In the closeup of the flower buds, you can see the red flowers that have opened. I think this is a Texas Red Oak because of the red flowers.

Lastly, a Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica). This tree is about 15 feet tall. I think the Blackjack oaks are more common than the red oaks.

The Blackjack's flowers buds are brown, but the flowers themselves are white. You can also see the distinctive, "duck foot", three-lobed leaf shape. Another distinctive characteristic is the sharp spike at the end of the leaf lobe.

I had never taken a close look at any oak flowers. I was pleased to see the red flowers of the Red oak and the white flowers of the Blackjack oak. Check them out for yourself - I think you'll be pleasantly rewarded.