Northern Red Oak Tree (Quercus Rubra) – 1 Gallon Pot

Among the fastest growing of North American native oak trees, the Northern Red Oak can add up to 2 feet or so in height per year reaching 50 to 70 feet tall and wide at maturity with a broad rounded crown. The large 5 to 7 lobed wavy leaves up to 7 inches long are handsome throughout the year, emerging pinkish-red, turning lustrous dark green in summer, and changing to a very attractive russet-red to bright scarlet red in fall. Insignificant flowers occur in spring in the form of catkins which are followed by rounded brown acorns wearing a thin top cap that develop over a two-year period. Young bark is smooth and light gray becoming shallowly furrowed into broad hard scaly ridges with age. As is with most oak trees, the Northern Red Oak has many benefits to wildlife, supporting many species of butterflies, moths, birds and mammals. Highly adaptable to many soil types and moist but well-drained to occasionally dry conditions, this long-lived oak is ideal for use as a large shade tree in the moist to dry and sunny landscape or in groupings or groves for forestation and reclamation projects. Its tolerance of salt and air pollution makes it a good selection for more exposed areas.

The wildlife benefits of the Northern Red Oak are numerous. It is an excellent source of food for many wildlife species including deer, black bears, turkeys, woodpeckers. squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and many other species of smaller mammals and birds. It also supports a wide variety of Lepidopteran. You may see moths and butterflies such as Imperial Moth, Banded Hairstreak, Edward’s Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, White-M Hairstreak, Horace’s Duskywing and Juvenal’s Duskywing.

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