A large and imposing tree, forming a fairly coarse outline with a broad crown, often above a short trunk. Leaves are fairly broad with shallow lobes, dark green and usually gray-green underneath. Fall color is yellowish-bronze, some trees are red-purple. Best to buy in fall color to know what color your tree will be. Bi-color leaves very ornamental! Acorn is fairly large, held on stalks and covered about one-third by its cap. Can be eaten fresh, fairly sweet flavor. 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.