Tuesday, September 22, 2020

What Eats Blackjack Oak Creek
What Eats Blackjack Oak Brook

It is the time of year when Oklahoma wildlife goes nuts … over acorns. The floors of the state’s wooded areas are loaded with these delectable little nuggets of goodness.

Other white oak family members include the bur oak, chestnut oak, and Oregon white oak. This oak is immediately recognized by rounded lobes plus the lobe tips never have bristles like red oak. This oak makes for a beautiful tree in the landscape but is a slow-growing tree when compared to red oak and will become huge on maturity.
The oak tree leaf is broad, thin and flat and is called a broadleaf. The shape of the leaf may be ovate, obovate and sometimes, elliptic. Oak tree leaves may be deeply pinnatifid-like seen in Canada. The characteristic features in an oak leaf are its lobes and sinuses (space between the lobes). The number of lobes may be from 5 up to 20 in a leaf.

In the red oak group there are northern red oak and southern red oak species, as well as cherrybark, Schumard, pin, black, and scarlet oak. Blackjack oak is more commonly called black oak. All these individual species are not separated but all are lumped together into the lumber grouping called red oak. Oak wilt is a fungal infection affecting oak trees. All species of oak are susceptible with red oaks being particularly vulnerable. In red oaks, oak wilt is almost always lethal and death can occur in as little as one month. There is currently no known cure and the best way of dealing with oak wilt is to isolate and then destroy the affected trees. 4109 Blackjack Oak in ZIP code 66047 is a single family home currently listed for $394,900. This is 25% above the median of $315,000 for 66047 and N/A below the median price of $394,900 for the city of Lawrence, KS.

Oklahoma wildlife feasts on acorns to help build up fat reserves for the winter, said Dwayne Elmore, Oklahoma State University Extension wildlife specialist, professor and Bollenbach Chair in OSU’s Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management.

“Lots of animals eat acorns, including blue jays and squirrels, and insects such as acorn weevils. They definitely take advantage of this time of year when the acorns supply is flush to help build fat reserves for the winter,” Elmore said. “However, it’s deer that we most associate with eating acorns. Although deer have a diverse diet, their favorite thing to nosh on in the fall is acorns. In fact, acorns can constitute up to 25% of a deer’s autumn diet. The acorns are easy to digest and provide protein needed for healthy wildlife.”

Acorns are the seed of the oak, and as fall approaches they drop from trees and provide a smorgasbord for wildlife. This popular food supply has a narrow window of availability and exists only about two to three months out of the year in the autumn.

Production can vary considerably, and Elmore said that during some years production can be light, which can actually help deer hunters. When acorn counts are high, deer can be harder to predict because they have resources everywhere and are less likely to use food plots. Canadian poker tournament schedule bracket. Acorn production depends on late spring frosts and summer rainfall.

“Deer hunters have a good understanding of the importance of finding trees that are dropping acorns because the deer tend to concentrate there in October and November,” he said.

Acorns are produced by all species of oak found in Oklahoma. While there is some variation in animal preference between the various oak species, all are consumed.

In central Oklahoma, the two most common oak are the post oak and the blackjack oak. In western Oklahoma, the dwarf shinnery oak is prevalent, while in the eastern portion of Oklahoma, species such as black oak, Shumard oak and southern red oak are more common.

“During the coming days, you might consider a walk through a nearby forest to investigate the amount of acorn production in your area. You’ll likely notice not all oak produce equally,” he said. “While the size of the tree crown is certainly related to the number of acorns produced, there also is genetic variation, and some trees are predisposed to be large producers. From a wildlife standpoint, these are important trees to retain.”

According to the State Department of Wildlife Conservation, deer hunters in Oklahoma can look forward to the upcoming hunting seasons, including:

Archery: Oct. 1 through Jan. 15, 2021
Primitive weapons: Oct. 24 through Nov. 1
Youth firearms: Oct. 16 through Oct. 18
Firearms: Nov. 21 through Dec. 6
Holiday antlerless: Dec. 18 through Dec. 31

MEDIA CONTACT: Trisha Gedon | Agricultural Communications Services | 405-744-3625 | trisha.gedon@okstate.edu

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Blackjack Oak
Quercus marilandica
Beech family (Fagaceae)

Description: This small single-trunked tree is typically 10–30' tall in the wild, although in cultivation it may become 30–50' tall. The crown of this tree is usually as broad as it is across in open areas and densely branched, while in more shaded areas the crown becomes more open and elongated. However, small trees that are stunted from rocky barren ground often have a crown that is irregularly shaped and open. The trunk is up to 1' across and short; it is covered with nearly black coarse bark that is irregularly furrowed or blocky. The smaller branches and older twigs are more gray and smooth; they tend to be short and craggy. Young twigs are light brown with short brown pubescence toward their tips; the conical or bluntly conical buds are also light brown with short brown pubescence.
Alternate leaves occur along young twigs; they are 3–7' long, 2½–6' across, and obovate or obovate-obconic in outline with 3–5 shallow lobes along their outer margins. The lobes of the leaves taper to tips that are obtusely angled, shallowly rounded, or bluntly square-shaped; each lobe has an exserted vein. The leaf base is narrowly rounded to wedge-shaped, while the leaf margins are irregularly undulate or slightly curved where the shallow lobes don't occur. The upper leaf surface is dark green, shiny, and sparsely covered with short brown pubescence that is stellate (star-shaped). The lower leaf surface is light-medium green, dull, and moderately covered with short brown pubescence that is stellate. Such brownish pubescence is especially common along the lower sides of leaf veins. The petioles are 3–12 mm. (up to ½') long; they are greenish white or pale yellow, and glabrous or with short brown pubescence. Like other oaks, this oak is monoecious with male (staminate) and female (pistillate) florets occurring on the same tree. The male florets are distributed along drooping greenish yellow catkins up to 5' long; each male floret (less than 3 mm. in size) has about 6 stamens, a short calyx with 4-6 lobes, and early-deciduous bractlets. The female florets are nearly sessile on the twigs; each female floret (less than 3 mm. in size) consists of an ovary with 2-3 styles, a calyx with 4-6 lobes, and several surrounding bractlets.

The blooming period occurs from mid- to late-spring, lasting about 1–2 weeks. Cross-pollination of the florets is by wind. Afterwards, fertile female florets slowly develop into nearly sessile acorns that are solitary or in clusters of 2–3. These acorns take 2 years to develop and they don't become mature until autumn of the following year. Individual acorns are about ¾' long and ½' across, consisting of a rather deep cup with light brown pubescent scales and an ovoid nut that is smooth-sided, light to medium brown, and pointed at its apex. The cup extends along one-third to one-half of the length of the acorn and partially overlaps the nut. The interior of the nut is nearly white, meaty, and somewhat bitter. The woody root system of this tree produces a deep taproot with more shallow lateral roots. This tree reproduces by reseeding itself. During autumn, the leaves become dull yellow to red before turning brown; they have a tendency to persist on this tree during the winter.
Cultivation: The preference is full sun, dry-mesic to dry conditions, and barren ground containing sand, gravel, clay, and/or rocky material. This tree grows slowly and can live up to 200 years.
Range & Habitat: Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica) is native to southern and west-central Illinois, where it is occasional (see Distribution Map). Elsewhere within the state, it does not occur as a wild tree. Illinois lies along the nort

What Eats Blackjack Oak