Fall Fliers

 

Fall-blooming Blue Mistflower and White Boneset attract late season butterflies.

Butterflies are frequently thought of as insects that fly primarily in the spring and summer seasons.  This is because the emergence of many butterfly species is unimodal, which means that their numbers increase as environmental resources increase.  These resources are defined as their host plants and nectar plants, which also become available during these warmer seasons.  

However, there are some species that have bimodal emergences, or increases in numbers in both the spring/summer and fall seasons.  It is thought that the division of offspring between two different emergence times may have evolved to avoid producing all offspring at one time.  This approach would reduce the risk of species mortality in case of potential fluctuations in habitat quality. 

Whether they be unimodal or bimodal, butterfly species typically exhibit a tightly synchronized adult emergence in order to help them locate mates. Further still, some species are present in low numbers during most of the year, but their numbers increase during the fall.  In central Texas these species include the Tailed Orange (Pyrisitia proterpia), Julia (Dryas iulia), Common Mestra (Mestra amymone), Queen (Danaus gilippus), and White-striped Longtail (Chioides albofasciatus).

In the fall, the Tailed Orange is in its winter form, yellow with brown lines and blotches below and a noticeably pointed hindwing edge.  Its summer form is unmarked yellow below and the hindwing edge is less pointed. It flies late summer through fall, and uses senna species as its host plant.

Tailed Orange, winter form

The fast-flying Julia is mostly orange above and orange to brown below, with the female being a duller orange than the male and having a dark forewing band.  Its longwing shape is quite distinctive and it prefers woodland edges and gardens where it uses passionvine species as its host plant.

Julia, male

A slower, flat-winged flyer, the Common Mestra is pearly white above with a pale orange border on its hindwing, and mostly pale orange below with a thin, white spotband.  It is most often seen from June to November, and it uses noseburn species as its host plant.

Common Mestra

The Queen butterfly is often confused with monarchs, as it also uses milkweed species as its host plant.  Rich dark brown to deep orange above with white spots in the black wing margins, it lacks the strong black veining on the wings like monarchs, and can be found in any open habitat usually visiting flowers.

Queen

Straying into our area from south Texas, the White-striped Longtail is a dark brown butterfly with very long tails, and a prominent white stripe on the underside of its hindwing.  It usually perches with its wings closed, and uses various legume species as host plants.

White-striped Longtail

One way to increase your chances of seeing these fall fliers in your yard is to provide native plant species that bloom in late summer and well into fall. These plants include Frostweed, Gregg’s Mistflower, Blue Mistflower, White Boneset, Lindheimer’s Senna, Plateau Goldeneye, and Texas Lantana.  And remember, fall is the perfect time to plant!

Furtive Fledglings

 

Mixed woodland of oak and juniper in Central Texas is the only breeding habitat
for the Golden-cheeked Warbler.

As the temperature rises and late spring turns to early summer, many bird species are in the throes of caring for newly hatched nestlings (still in the nest) or fledglings (just out of the nest).  As you hike through our oak-juniper forests in the western part of Austin, you just may run across young families of our endangered bird, the Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia).

Adult Golden-cheeked Warblers arrive at their breeding grounds by mid-March, returning largely to the same areas each year and nesting from April to May. They are socially monogamous, with the males arriving before the females to establish their territory. Courtship behavior, rarely observed, involves the female collecting nesting material as the male sings a soft, twittering version of his song, flicking and spreading his wings and tail and sometimes bringing nesting material to the female. 

A male Golden-cheeked Warbler sings from a juniper to establish his territory.

The female chooses the nest site, often in a branched fork of an Ashe Juniper or Live Oak tree, and the nest is built in 4 days, camouflaged by bark strips from mature juniper trees and secured by spider silk. Females lay 3-4 eggs and for the first 3 days she broods or sits on the eggs continuously, being attended to and fed by the male. The eggs hatch in approximately 12 days, and the nestlings are altricial or born helpless and requiring significant parental care.  

Female Golden-cheeked Warblers typically don't have black throats,
but the ones that do are called 'bearded females'.

However, they leave the nest only 8 or 9 days after hatching, staying in the vicinity of their attendant parents, but usually huddled together and partially hidden in the trees. They continue to be cared for by both parents, who actively search for caterpillars and other insects in the foliage to bring directly to the fledglings.  

A fledgling Golden-cheeked Warbler.

The most obvious way to spot these furtive fledglings is by listening for the family group.  As a parent nears with food in its beak, the fledglings chip rapidly and flutter their wings, begging and hoping to be the one who gets the morsel of food.  They grow quiet once the parent takes off to forage again.  Once they get a bit older, they start to follow their foraging parents begging for food, eventually becoming more confident in their ability to fly and learning to forage for themselves. As they become even more independent, the young join the adults in mixed-species flocks in the woodlands before migration begins in July and early August.

This Golden-cheeked Warbler fledgling caught its own food!

If you hear or see a Golden-cheeked Warbler family foraging and feeding in our mixed woodlands, consider yourself lucky.  Of the nearly 360 bird species that breed in Texas, the Golden-cheeked Warbler is the only one that nests exclusively in Texas, so each one is a native Texan! 

Preparing for a Winter Feast

 

Pine Siskin feeding on Thistle

Gardens can be a source of delight even during the winter months, if created with native plants for wildlife in mind. As the weather turns cold and foraging becomes more challenging, home gardens can be a critical resource for many different species.  Planting layers of vegetation, from ground covers to trees, provides the food and shelter necessary to sustain wildlife. 

Since different species utilize different types of food, it is important to consider the fructivores, nut eaters, granivores, and insectivores.   Native berry producing trees and shrubs that persist into winter are numerous and include yaupon, possumhaw, southern wax myrtle, American beautyberry, flameleaf sumac, roughleaf dogwood, Virginia creeper, Texas persimmon, and rusty blackhaw viburnum.  Trees such as the native Texas Red Oak, Live Oak, Post Oak, pecan, and Arizona walnut provide highly desirable nuts.  

Southern Wax Myrtle Berries

Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum Fruit

Post Oak Acorns

Another valuable practice is to create areas that mimic the forest floor by leaving leaves, which allows animals places to forage for overwintering insects.  Raking, mowing, and blowing is detrimental to many species of moths, butterflies, snails, spiders, beetles, and dozens of arthropods (such as millipedes).  Many moths and butterflies overwinter in the egg, caterpillar, or chrysalis/cocoon stage and use leaf litter as winter cover.  If you must keep your non-native lawn free of leaves, carefully rake them into a pile in the corner or spread them underneath trees and shrubs as a natural mulch.

Just as important is the practice of leaving seedheads and not cutting or pruning back perennials until they begin to break dormancy in late February or early March.  Birds can pluck seeds from spent flowerheads, hollow stems can become nests for solitary bees, and overripe fruits can be left to fall to the ground for animals to find.  Several native plant species that should be left standing throughout the winter include purple coneflower, blazing star, fall aster, common sunflower, tall goldenrod, western ironweed, frostweed, Texas thistle, Turk’s cap, blue mistflower, chile pequin, pigeonberry, and white boneset. 

Tall Goldenrod Seedhead

White Boneset Seedhead

Native grasses left to seed are also very beneficial, with clump-like vegetation at the base providing shelter from the cold and seedheads supplying food.  In early spring, the previous year’s leaf blades also provide necessary nesting material for many birds and small mammals.  The grass species to consider include inland sea oats, sideoats grama, switchgrass, big muhly, big bluestem, little bluestem, bushy bluestem, and indian grass.

Inland Sea-Oats Seeds

The colder months of the year are a good time to evaluate how well your garden provides a winter feast and haven for wildlife.  Helping our native animal species during the more barren months of the year by providing naturally occurring food and shelter helps to prepare them for a healthy and productive spring breeding season.

Glorious Goldeneye

 

Plateau Goldeneye

From late September to November our roadsides, woodland edges, and meadows are brimming with the profuse yellow blooms of Plateau Goldeneye (Viguiera dentata).  Also called Toothleaf Goldeneye and Sunflower Goldeneye, this native plant is extremely drought tolerant, prefers well drained soils, and grows up to 3 feet in full sun and to 6 feet in partial shade.  It can be found throughout central and west Texas, and into New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico.

Blooms appear at the tips of long, branched stalks

Plateau Goldeneye is a bushy, much-branched plant that tends to grow in colonies.  The yellow daisy-like flowers are numerous, 1.5 inches wide, and appear at the tips of long, slender, leafless stalks.  These composite flowers have a button-like central cluster of fifty or more tiny yellow disk flowers surrounded by 10 to 14 golden yellow ray flowers with notched tips and nearly parallel veins. 

Each ray flower (petal) has a notched tip and somewhat parallel veins

The green leaves of Plateau Goldeneye are triangular with a broad base, tapering to a point, and toothed or serrated along the edges.  They can vary from 1 to 6 inches in length, and can be attached to the stem in either alternately (near the base) or oppositely (toward the tip). As fall approaches, their typical rich green color turns more of a gray-green, and the plant starts to develop flower buds around September.   

Leaves have roughly serrated or toothed edges

Throughout its growing season, Plateau Goldeneye attracts many types of pollinators, especially bees, and is one of the preferred host plants for the Bordered Patch butterfly. In fall and winter, spent flower heads provide good forage for Lesser Goldfinches and other seed-eating birds, as each flower produces numerous achenes, or small, dry single-seeded fruits that do not open to release the seed.  If left to its own devices, Plateau Goldeneye reseeds readily under favorable conditions, but it is easy to manage.

Bordered Patch

Lesser Goldfinch

The Aztec/Nahuatl people called this plant Chimalacate, and in several Mexican states infusions of Plateau Goldeneye are used as an antibacterial treatment for baby rash.  A pharmaceutical study in 2008 confirmed that a compound extracted from this plant does indeed show antifungal properties. Plateau Goldeneye is in the genus Viguiera in the Aster family, and is named in honor of the 19th century French botanist and physician Louis Guillaume Alexandre Viguier.  Regardless of this plant’s history, enjoy the glorious blooms it provides us in the fall, along the roads and trails of central Texas!

Hoppin' Orthoptera

Grasshopper nymphs are often mini versions of the adults

Take a walk through a meadow on a late summer or early fall day, and you’ll no doubt encounter members of the insect order Orthoptera: grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids.  While their Greek name translates to ‘straight wings’, these insects are better known for their jumping ability and powerful hind legs that can propel them to 20 times their body length. 

Abundant, large, colorful, and often noisy, orthopterans are unlike other insects in that they undergo an incomplete or gradual metamorphosis.  Their simple lifecycle consists of an egg, nymph, and adult, where the nymphs look similar to adults, but lack completely developed wings.  Eggs typically hatch in the spring, nymphs develop through the summer, adults mate and reproduce in late summer and fall, with winter passing in the egg stage.  They have three basic body parts: the head, which contains sensory parts such as antennae, eyes, and mouthparts; the thorax, which contains the legs and wings required for movement; and the abdomen, which bears the digestive and reproductive organs.

The use of sound is crucial in courtship, with each species having its own distinct song.  Males attract mates through stridulation, or producing sounds by rubbing the upper and lower wings or the hind leg and wing together creating a vibration that is species-specific.  The auditory organs for orthopterans are not located on their heads, however, but on the abdomen for grasshoppers and the front legs of crickets and katydids.

Differential Grasshopper

Common throughout Texas is the Differential Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis), which is brown to olive-green and yellow and up to 1.8 inches long, with black herringbone markings on its legs.  It feeds on both grasses and broadleaf plants, although it prefers the latter, and is often found in areas of lush vegetation. Both nymphs and adults tend to aggregate together, and the adults are found from July to October.

Obscure Bird Grasshopper

Also found thoughout Texas is the Obscure Bird Grasshopper (Schistocerca obscura).  This large grasshopper, to 2.5 inches long, has olive-green forewings and typically a pale yellow-green dorsal stripe from the front of the head to the wing tips. While females can lack this stripe, both sexes have blackish-purple tibia with yellow, black-tipped spines.  This species prefers fields and open woodlands, and can sometimes feed on flowers and shrubs.

Green-striped Grasshopper

The Green-striped Grasshopper (Chortophaga viridifasciata) is found everywhere in Texas except for the southernmost portion of the Trans-Pecos.  Up to 1.5 inches long, it has both a green form (usually females) and a brown form (usually males). Between forms, the main difference is the coloring of the head, thorax, and outer face of the hind femora, with the abdomen always being reddish-brown. This grasshopper prefers wet areas with short grasses on which to feed.    

Narrow-winged Tree Cricket

More often heard than seen, Tree crickets (Oecanthus sp.) are whitish to light green, with long antennae and slender bodies.  In late summer from dusk into the evening hours, the males begin to chirp, with the rate of the chirp correlating to the outside temperature.  If you count how many chirps you hear in 15 seconds and add that to 40, you’ll come surprisingly close to the actual air temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.  

Field Cricket

Field crickets (Gryllus sp.) are dark brown to black, about 1 inch long, live in cool, dark areas, and normally emit high-pitched, continuous calls.  Those that live in caves are dark brown, have well-developed hind legs, and exhibit a hunchbacked appearance.

Fork-tailed Bush Katydid

The antennae of katydids are hair-like and at least as long as the body, superbly represented by the Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcata).  This all-green katydid is often found in weedy fields, thickets, forest edges, and along roadsides. Up to 2.2 inches long, the first generation matures in late spring and the second in early fall.  Interestingly, the overall size of the adults varies and is directly related to how fast they must mature in order to fully use the growing season to produce the maximum number of generations.

Often, what you can’t identify by sight during the day becomes clear when it sings, calls, buzzes, or chirps at night.  Immerse yourself in the nighttime soundscape, and hear your way to discovery!

Beautiful Hindwings

Can you find the underwing moth?

Commonly known as underwings, the genus Catocala is a large group of moths where most species are somberly clad with brown or gray-shaded forewings, often in variable, cryptic patterns of wavy lines closely resembling tree bark.  It is their hindwings, kept hidden at rest, that are typically a vivid orange, red, or yellow, and marked with black bands or stripes. 

The genus Catocala comes from the Greek kato meaning ‘rear or lower one’ and kalos meaning ‘beautiful’, together translating to ‘beautiful hindwings.’ Of the more than 100 underwing species found in the United States, 15 or so are known in Travis County, including the Ilia Underwing (Catocala ilia), Little Nymph Underwing (Catocala micronympha), and Ultronia Underwing (Catocala ultronia).

Ilia Underwing

The Ilia Underwing, also known as the Beloved Underwing or Wife Underwing, is one of our most common large underwings.  It has a total length to 1.8 inches, and gray to brownish forewings with a bold black line above a white or white-outlined spot. The reddish-orange hindwings have two black bands, and a pale orange, checkered fringe.  It utilizes oaks for its host plants, especially red oaks such as Shumard’s Oak and Southern Red Oak.  Its common and scientific name Ilia likely refers to the mythical mother of the twins Romulus and Remus, who were the mythological founders of the city of Rome.

Little Nymph Underwing

One of our smaller underwings with a total length of up to 1 inch, the Little Nymph Underwing has brown to grayish forewings typically marked with a dark, curving, shadow-like crescent.  The golden orange hindwings have two black bands, sometimes broken, and a pale, checked fringe.  It prefers white oaks as host plants, specifically Post Oak, Bur Oak, and Coastal Live Oak.  Its species name comes from the Greek and means ‘little bride or mistress.’

Ultronia Underwing

The Ultronia Underwing is medium-sized underwing to 1.3 inches in length, and is identified by its grayish-brown forewings marked with a darker brown shading on the inner edge.  The reddish hindwings have two black bands and a mostly gray fringe. Escarpment Black Cherry and Coastal Live Oak are its preferred host plants, and its common and scientific names are said to have come from the name of a Greek island.

It is believed that the bright colors of these moths’ hindwings, which usually form roughly concentric patterns, resemble the eyes of a predatory animal when suddenly flashed toward danger. Underwings are also said to possess fairly well-developed hearing organs, allowing them to evade nocturnal predators such as bats.  Their cryptic forewings keep them hidden during the day as they roost on tree bark and in crevices, and even in their larval form their coloring and patterns often mimic gray bark or green lichen.  While most active shortly after nightfall, several species have a second activity period for a few hours around noon, when these beautiful hindwings can sometimes be found on the wing in broad daylight!

Bodacious Borers

Cottonwood Borer

As spring turns into summer in Central Texas, the heat brings out some of our most interesting creatures, most notably the native wood-boring beetles.  This group encompasses many species and families of beetles, all of whom eat wood either in their larval or adult form.  Most often they are found in or around dead or dying trees, as they are vital players in enabling the turnover of weak trees with strong ones, and acting as primary decomposers of wood which allows for the recycling of nutrients back into the soil.

One large family of beetles in the wood-boring group is the longhorn beetles, or Cerambycidae, typically characterized by their extremely long antennae which are often as long or longer than the beetle’s body.  Their family scientific name comes from the mythological Greek shepherd Cerambus, who was turned into a large beetle with horns after an argument with nymphs.  Three of the more noticeable wood-boring longhorn beetles in our area include the Banded Hickory Borer (Knulliana cincta), Cottonwood Borer (Plectrodera scalator), and Texas Bumelia Borer (Plinthocoelium suaveolens plicatum).

Banded Hickory Borer

With a body length of up to 1.4 inches, the Banded Hickory Borer is a fairly slender, typically gray to reddish-brown beetle with a pair of pale marks near the base of the elytra or wing covers that are sometimes absent, and tiny spines at the ends of the elytra.  Eggs are laid by the adults in bark crevices or directly into hardwoods such as oak, pecan, walnut, willow, and hackberry, upon which their larva feed.  In their first season, the larva feed just beneath the bark, then head deeper into the wood as they develop, a cycle which takes two to three years to complete.

Cottonwood Borer

The Cottonwood Borer is an elongate, unmistakably robust beetle with black and white markings that are formed by contrasting areas of white pubescence or fine short hairs on black body parts.  At a body length of up to 1.6 inches, the summer-active adults lay eggs in August and September on cottonwood and willow, where larva bore into the base and overwinter.  After two or three years to reach maturity, they pupate in chambers beneath the bark and emerge as adults in late spring, and are often found feeding on new shoots, leaf petioles (stems), and the bark of their host trees.

Texas Bumelia Borer

One can hardly miss the bright iridescence of the metallic green Texas Bumelia Borer, with its contrasting reddish-orange and black legs. The larva of this species feed on gum bumelia and mulberry, developing in the roots and trunks of these host plants.  With a body length of 1.5 inches, the adults are diurnal and often found on the trunks of their host plants, although they typically feed on flower nectar and are attracted to lights.

Despite their large size, most native wood-boring beetles are not pests.  Instead, they take advantage of dead and dying trees and aid in the natural decomposition process. As you venture out and about this summer, see if you can find some of these bodacious borers!

A Killer of a Wasp

In late June and July, cicadas begin emerging from the ground,
breaking  through their shells or exuviae,
leaving the empty husks behind.

What are those large, solitary wasps we see flying around our yards from late June to September?  Often referred to as the Cicada Killer or Cicada Wasp (Sphecius speciosus), this native species occurs in the eastern and midwestern U.S. regions, southwards through Texas into Mexico and Central America. Cicada killers are so named since they prey on cicadas and provision their nests with them.  While large and intimidating, they offer a measure of natural control on cicada populations.  They benefit our native plants by pollinating flowers and protecting trees from the numerous cicadas that feed on their roots and foliage.

Cicada Killer or Cicada Wasp nectaring at a flower.

Cicada killers are robust wasps up to 2 inches long, with amber wings and black to reddish-brown abdomens with yellow stripes.  The females are somewhat larger than the males, and both are among the largest wasps in the U.S. These solitary wasps have a very unusual and interesting lifecycle.  Females are commonly seen skimming around areas with sparse vegetation for nesting sites, burrowing a tunnel, 10 to 20 inches deep, in dry or bare soil.  In digging a burrow, she will dislodge the soil with her jaws, and using her hind legs that are equipped with special spines, push the loose soil behind her as she backs out of the burrow. 

Cicadas, like this Megatibicen resh,
are hunted by the female Cicada Killers.

The female cicada killer proceeds to capture cicadas, sometimes even in flight, paralyzing them with her venomous sting.  She places the cicadas beneath her, grasping them with her legs, and either flies or drags her prey, which is twice her weight, into her burrow.  After placing a few cicadas in her nest, she begins to lay her eggs.  Females can predetermine the sex of the egg, and she lays multiple male eggs on a single cicada.  But each female egg is given 2 or 3 cicadas, as females are larger, require more food, and more females are needed to create new generations.  Eggs are always laid under the left or right second leg of the cicada. The female then closes the burrow with dirt, as the eggs hatch in a few days, but the larvae take some time to mature, feeding on cicadas as they overwinter in their burrow, not emerging as adults until the following spring.

Adult male cicada killers emerge in spring before the females, defending the territory around their emergence hole and searching for females.  They typically perch on the ground, flying up to attack any rival males. Once females emerge, mating occurs, and the males die shortly after.  Females live long enough to dig and provision their nests, and die after laying all of their eggs.

Cicada killer wasps are not aggressive toward humans and rarely sting unless provoked by grasping them roughly, accidentally stepping on them, or if caught in clothing.  Only the females have stingers, and while males will actively defend their perching areas against other males near nesting sites, they have no stingers. Both males and females have large jaws, but they are not known to grasp human skin and bite.  If swatted at, they will just fly away rather than attack. They are simply focused on cicadas or other cicada killers!

Quercus with a Purpose

All oaks, like this Post Oak, are members of the genus Quercus.

Texas is home to dozens of native species of oaks, all of which are in the genus Quercus.  These trees provide humans with ample shade in the summer and beautiful color in the fall, and they sustain many mammals and birds with their acorn fruit.  But did you know that they are native host plants for dozens of butterflies and moth species, or the plants the female adults lay their eggs on for their caterpillars to eat?  In turn, the caterpillars of these butterfly and moth species provide a critical food source for almost all of the songbirds raising broods in the spring. Three of the most productive native oak species in central Texas are the Texas Live Oak (Quercus fusiformis), Post Oak (Quercus stellata), and Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa).

Texas Live Oak

The Texas Live Oak is also known as Escarpment Live Oak, Hill Country, and Plateau Live Oak.  Considered a semi-evergreen tree, the previous year’s leaves fall from the tree only when pushed out by newly emerging ones in early spring.  It has a stately mature form and unparalleled longevity, reaching to 40 feet in height with large limbs that over time spread an appreciable distance from the main trunk.  Firm textured leaves are oval to elliptical, 1 to 3 inches long, with young leaves having pointed lobes.  Its acorns are spindle-shaped or fusiform, narrowed at the base and ¾ to 1 inch long.  

Juvenal's Duskywing

Grote's Buckmoth

The Texas Live Oak is a host plant for Oak Hairstreak (Northern form), Juvenal’s Duskywing, and Meridian Duskywing butterflies, as well as Grote’s Buckmoth, Eastern Buckmoth, and Delilah Underwing moths.

Post Oak

Also known Iron Oak and Cross Oak, Post Oak is a deciduous oak to 50 feet, coarsely-branched with a dense, oval crown.  Its leaves are typically 3 to 5 inches long, with 4 pairs of lobes on each side, and the upper pair are often larger than the others, resembling a cross.  Acorns are ¾ to 1.25 inches long.  Post Oak is the most common oak throughout Texas, and its hard or iron wood is used for railroad ties as well as construction posts and timbers.  

'Northern' Oak Hairstreak

Polyphemus Moth

It is a host plant for the Oak Hairstreak (Northern form) and White M Hairstreak butterflies, and the Polyphemus, Eastern Buckmoth, Scarlet Underwing, and Little Nymph Underwing moths.

Bur Oak Acorn

Bur Oak is one of our largest oaks, also known as Savanna Oak, Overcup Oak, Prairie Oak, and Mossy-cup Oak.  A deciduous tree that can exceed 100 feet in height, its massive trunk supports heavy, horizontal limbs and lobed leaves up to 9 inches long.  Its acorns are the largest of all native oaks, up to 1.5 inches wide, with much of the acorn enclosed in a coarsely scaled cup with a heavily fringed margin. Sometimes spelled Burr Oak, it is the northern most oak in the New World, extending farther north than any other oak species.  

Banded Hairstreak 

Imperial Moth

Bur Oak is the host plant for the Banded Hairstreak and Juvenal’s Duskywing butterflies, in addition to the Ilia Underwing, Imperial, and Greater Oak Dagger moths.

While Texas is known for its oaks, care must be taken in identifying and maintaining oak trees.  Most all of the species can hybridize, occasionally making exact identification difficult,  and several of them are susceptible to oak wilt disease. However, they are worth the effort from a human and wildlife standpoint, as they are Quercus with a purpose!