White Oak

White Oak

(Quercus Alba)

This particular tree can be found along a walking trail behind the CT Forest and Parks Association building. It's found on the Discovery Loop trail, surrounded by lots of other White Oaks and a Mockernut Hickory nearby.

White Oaks are very, very common in CT and other temperate deciduous forests. It can do well in many soil types, but it usually prefers deep, moist, and well-drained soil with low acidity. It also prefers full sun but can do well in shade too. They are towering trees with thick trunks, so they usually dominate their environments.

I like these trees because they are usually huge and imposing in their habitats. They also have some really cool leaves with nice colors in the fall. I also think it's interesting that they produce acorns so late, around 50 to 100 years old. They wait a fairly long time to start reproducing, which is kind of rare in nature.