The Mighty Oak

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Dear Editor:

Many of us know the high value of trees and how they benefit our ecosystem, but they also benefit our physical and mental well-being. Taking a walk outdoors or just standing under a tree brings a sense of peace and renewal to our spirit.

Many of us know the value of trees. Just to review: trees help reduce soil erosion, trap carbon while reducing air pollution, and reduce water runoff and flooding. By providing shade, they help with natural cooling, lowering temperatures in cities and use of air conditioning. Trees provide a buffer for noise and homes for insects and wildlife.

But there is no other tree that is quite like the “Mighty Oak.” Oaks are a powerful keystone species in nature, providing a home for hundreds of species of caterpillars needed by bird parents to feed and raise their babies.

Doug Tallamy, entomologist and longtime University of Delaware professor, talks about “host” trees – trees that serve as the most important food sources for birds and wildlife. Oaks are hosts to more butterflies and moths than any other tree species. They also provide a home to large numbers of beetles and leafhoppers, which in turn give sustenance to birds and other insect-eating animals. An oak tree can produce three million acorns in its lifetime. Imagine the wildlife that will visit under that tree to enjoy the bounty such as deer, wild turkeys, foxes, opossums, and more.

Mr. Tallamy mentions that oak leaves decompose slower and calls it “priceless litter” that gives a safe place to countless creatures, many of which overwinter in those leaves only to emerge in the middle of spring. He strongly advises to “Leave the Leaves,” of which I have a sign in the fall in one of my beds that says just that. Allowing the undisturbed leaf litter to remain throughout the winter means fungi and bacteria (nature’s natural maids) enabling plant roots to absorb nutrients and so insects can stay warm and dry.

Consider this: wait to clean up your yard or flower beds until the daytime temperature is consistently 50 degrees in the spring. Move leaves and mulch to a hidden corner of the yard instead of throwing them away immediately, giving late-arising bugs a chance to crawl out. It can be quite a challenge for trees, insects, and wildlife to survive.

Give Mother Nature a chance. Let’s keep nature natural.

Nancy Tatum
Carmel