Curious about the age of some of the towering trees in my forested yard in western NC, I measured around the trunk at 5 feet from the root crown and plugged the number and species into an online tree age calculator. Shockingly, some of the white oaks here in our “Enchanted Forest” are more than 200 years old! One in our front yard is 239 years old! That means it was a tiny acorn somewhere around 1786, long before the first telephone was invented (1876) or the first car was invented (1886.) This was just a few years after the Untied States of America officially declared independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. How different this forest and area must have looked back then! And how different it must have been for people not to be in touch with humans across the globe 24/7.
Oak trees are considered to be a keystone species because they support the a huge number and variety of insects–a whopping 934 species of caterpillars! What?! I had no idea!!
The white oak is found in 36 states and supports 557 species of caterpillars. Some people may say, “So what? Or why would we WANT that many caterpillars!?” Good questions for sure, and certainly one I might have asked too ten years ago. Caterpillars are not usually any gardener’s friend. But now I know how important caterpillars are to our beloved songbirds, thanks to entomologist and author, Doug Tallamy who discovered one chickadee family needs between 6000-9000 caterpillars when raising their babies. Wow! That’s a lot of fat-grubby insects munching on leaves! Also, WHAT?! I had no idea!!
And chickadees aren’t the only birds requiring insects. Many people are shocked to learn that 96% of our beloved songbirds REQUIRE insects, and especially caterpillars when feeding their babies. They may visit your seed feeder and seem perfectly happy, but if they are raising babies, they must find caterpillars, and other insects. Caterpillars and other insects are the foundation of a healthy, functioning ecosystem so if we want to see birds, we must learn to accept and even invite, caterpillars and other insects into our yards.
The best way to do that is to plant an oak! They are truly THE TREE OF LIFE and THE BEST ONE if you’re going to put a tree in your yard. (And you should!) Perhaps the towering white oak that can live 500 years and be more than 180 feet tall, will not work for every yard, but rest assured, there IS an oak out there for you! (Perhaps the smaller dwarf chinkapin oak, the black oak or post oak will work for you) To find the perfect species for your yard in your state, check out Homegrown National Park.
Rest assured: If you plant it, they will come!!