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!

Astonishing Acorns

Texas Red Oak is one of many types of oaks that produce
acorns in autumn

Famous for its oak trees, there are more than 50 species of oak native to Texas.  In our region of Central Texas, some of the most common include Live Oak (Quercus virginiana), Texas Red Oak (Quercus buckleyi), and Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa).  

A familiar tree with a stately growth habit, Live Oak is commonly 50 feet tall but with several large, twisting limbs that form a low, dense crown that can spread over 100 feet.  Its leaves are oblong in shape, leathery, 2 to 4 inches long and 0.5 to 2 inches wide.  Slow-growing but long-lived, it appears to be evergreen rather than deciduous since its old leaves fall just as new leaves emerge in the spring.  The annual acorns of this tree are dark brown and shiny, about 1 inch long and 0.5 inch wide, half covered in a gray, downy cup borne on a long stem. 

Live Oak Acorns

Texas Red Oak, also called Spanish Oak or Buckley Oak, is a small to medium tree to 35 to 70 feet tall, and its habitat is restricted to limestone ridges, slopes, and creek bottoms.  Its leaves are deeply lobed and it provides good shade in the summer and deep red color in the fall.  Its acorns are biennial, or maturing every other year, but when they do occur they are plentiful.  They can occur singly or in pairs, are up to 0.75 inches long and 0.5 inches wide often streaked with dark lines, and set in a shallow cup covering one-third to one-half of the fruit.

Texas Red Oak Acorns

A large, deciduous tree reaching a height of 80 feet or more, the Bur Oak has heavy branches that form an open, spreading crown, and leaves with highly variable lobes that can grow to 12 inches long and 6 inches wide.  But what is most characteristic is its’ distinctively large annual acorns, up to 2 inches long, set into a deep mossy-fringed cup that gives this species its common name.  In fact, an alternate common name is Mossycup Oak.  Bur Oaks have a medium growth rate, and develop a deep taproot that allows them to draw water and anchor the tree, even in drought conditions.

Bur Oak Acorn

The origin of the word acorn is dubious, as several sources are possible including Old Norse akarn meaning ‘fruit of wild trees’, Gothic akran meaning ‘fruit’, and Old English aecern meaning ‘mast or oak-mast.’  Mast is a term often applied to the fruit of oak trees, especially when they are used as food source for animals.

In Texas, oaks are important trees for wildlife as they provide acorns for food, shelter in their huge branches, and both food and shelter as they slowly decay.  For humans, oaks protect against soil erosion, buffer homes from strong winds, and provide true beauty in the landscape.  All of these benefits are derived from the simple yet astonishing acorns!