conservationmontgomery . org
We grow our trees in containers made entirely of natural fibers , encouraging fibrous root systems . Our trees retain all of their roots and therefore establish quickly and grow into healthy , mature trees .
We are open most days . Appointments recommended . 703-401-1949 • treetalknatives . com
atmosphere through their leaves . As the water changes state from liquid to vapor , the surrounding air is cooled .
We need to sustain our forests , and to plant more native trees . Why native ? They are the ecological basis upon which life depends , including people and wildlife . Without them and the insects that co-evolved with them , many of our native birds and animals cannot survive . They are at the core of a network of interdependence .
While there ’ s room and reason to plant many natives , none are more important than oaks — the genus Quercus — of which 21 species are native to Maryland . In fact , the white oak is the state tree of Maryland . The “ mighty oak ,” giant of the plant kingdom , produces enormous root systems , making them champions of carbon sequestration , soil stabilization and watershed management .
Just as important ; no native tree has more caterpillars dependent on it than the oak ; 900 species of Lepidoptera rely on oak trees . In other words , oak trees support song birds . Their leaves feed this multiplicity of moth and butterfly caterpillars , which parent birds pluck , to push down the gaping mouths of baby birds , who can only manage soft foods . Caterpillars are also essential to the diet of many insects — which also get eaten by birds .
Oak trees can continue to flourish despite feeding all those caterpillars , for this is the ecosystem in which they evolved . Sadly , the percentage of oaks in eastern forests dropped from 55 % pre-European settlement to 25 % today — largely because the wood of oak trees has always been in high demand . 28 of the 91 oak species in North America are so depleted , they may soon disappear from the wild forever . In his book , The Nature of Oaks , Professor Doug Tallamy says , “ We humans live our lives in a brief instant of ecological time . We cannot return ancient oaks to our landscapes during that instant , but we can — indeed we must — start the process .”
Oak trees don ’ t begin producing acorns until they are 30-40 years old and often don ’ t reach full production until they are 60 . Most oak species use a system of reproduction called masting , where heavy acorn production occurs every 2-5 years , with few acorns produced in intervening years .
Masting by oaks is synchronized over a large region . Bountiful acorn years mean many animals eat well . We all know that squirrels love acorns — but so do turkeys , wood ducks , crows and woodpeckers . Blue jays have actually co-evolved the hook at the end of their beak for ripping open acorns , and a jay ’ s expanded esophagus enables it to fly holding onto as many as 5 acorns ! Mice , rabbits , black bears , white tail deer , raccoons , and opossums are just a few of the mammals who feast on them .
Acorns were an important food in indigenous culture — not surprising , as they contain large amounts of proteins , fats and carbohydrates , plus calcium , niacin , potassium and phosphorus . Though before we can eat them , there ’ s a lot of required preparation to leach out tannic acid . Euell Gibbons In his book Stalking the Wild Asparagus , has a number of acorn recipes including acorn grits and acorn bread .
28 plenty I summer growing 2022