An attractive oak with toothed leaves like those of a Chestnut tree. Grows in limestone soils (a rarity amongst oaks). Foliage is green and shiny, turning to yellow-orange in fall. Gray bark and gnarled branch structure on old specimens. New root pruning and fertilization techniques in nursery production have made oaks easier to transplant and have given them faster growth rates. Red-banded hairstreak butterfly caterpillars feed on decaying sumac leaves and oak litter.

Oak species, as a group, serve as host plants for caterpillars of more than 500 different kinds of butterflies and moths. This is more than any other genus of tree. The caterpillars (larvae) feed on foliage, but without harming the trees. Oaks are vitally important in supporting nature’s web of life.

Chinkapin oak leaves. Photo: www.HenryDomke.com