Nature Study-Acorns and Hedgehog Galls

This past Friday we studied the tree in our front yard.  A White Oak.  Not only does it have some amazing acorns, but upon our study we discovered something else that White Oaks are prone to have on their leaves. Hedgehog Galls.  I'll explain.

But first about the tree and those sweet acorns!!!

The White Oak Tree

Quercus alba

The White Oak Tree

The white oak tree is probably the most majestic of all oak trees. This tree will spread out at the top even in heavy forest.
When found in an open area a mature white oak produces a picture-perfect fullness, and is sometimes wider than it is tall.

Identification

This oak tree is easily distinguished from other oaks, even in the winter.
The bark is much lighter in color than other oaks. It is usually a light gray color. The bark also has a "flaky" appearance to it. It can sometimes be peeled off in small pieces. Birds like nuthatches and woodpeckers will look for bugs under the bark.
There is one oak tree that can be confused with the white oak. In the winter this tree can sometimes be confused with the swamp white oak. The bark is almost identical. The leaves are the distinguishing feature between these trees. The swamp white oak does not have finger-like lobes.

Leaf Identification

The leaves of the white oak are also easily distinguished. They are multi-colored in that they are darker green on top and a lighter green on the underside. The leaves have 7 to 9 finger like lobes.
The acorns of white oaks can be quite large. They also can be quite abundant in the late summer and fall. White oak trees can produce very large crops. If you have a white oak in or near your yard you likely have cleaned up a lot of acorns in the fall.
(All info above from Northwest Ohio Nature)

Now here is our tree.

Old massive Live Oaks next door on the left....White Oak on right

 

Love the colors. And we have found the underside to be soft and fuzzy.

And then there are the acorns........

I have a fondness for ACORNS!!!  Any size will do, but the bigger ones are much more fun to me.  We were blessed to find our current home with a great tree in the front yard. And what made it sweeter were the acorns.  White Oak acorns are a bigger size acorn, but not as big as the acorns on a Burr Oak. 

Burr Oak acorns

If you are a long time reader you may remember our Burr Oak in the backyard of our Fort Worth home. Or maybe you remember more me going on and on about how much I loved them.  Now those were BIG acorns!  And that is where my love for acorns all began........

And even today I have some decent size acorns to play with.  Here are acorns from our White Oak and acorns from the Live Oaks next door. Nice size acorns for crafts from that White Oak!

Is this not the perfect little acorn or what?!?!

We have been collecting them since the day we moved in. I keep a couple of containers on the front porch for collecting. I love that people notice that and help with the collecting.  I find guests, family and even repairmen who drop acorns they find in the yard into our little containers on the porch.

After we oohed and aahed over the acorns we discovered something on the leaves.  I have seen these for years on leaves and never knew what they were.  Upon researching we discovered what these little prickly things are........

Hedgehog Galls!  Hedgehog what?!  Hedgehog Galls!

They're kinda cute, don't you think?

That's right, Hedgehog Galls.

These cool looking structures are galls that appear on white oaks as spheres that are covered with spines. Inside small cynipid wasps are developing. The galls can range from 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter and are often a yellow to red color. These galls, like many other galls on leaves of oaks, they cause no significant harm to the tree. Therefore, no controls are recommended.

I never knew!!  And I love the name......Hedgehog Gall!!!

Isn't learning FUN?!?!  Nature is amazing!  And every single time we do a nature study I am blown away by what God has given us!!!  I am a lover of all He created for US!  And when I get outdoors my spirits come ALIVE with the beauty and vast discoveries we can learn about!!!!

I hope you enjoyed our nature study!  If you are also a lover of acorns I have several posts I'll share later today.  So check back for crafts with acorns or search my blog.  Also acorn donuts!

Happy hUMp day!!!!