Our house “was built for a newlywed couple in 1885. The big oak tree in the front yard was planted the year they moved in and the maple tree was also one they planted,” according to information provided by the previous owner.
I was thinking about this oak tree as I drove home from a talk given by Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home. For some reason, when it came to changing my garden to increase diversity and attract more birds and pollinators, I had always thought in terms of planting more native perennials–and perhaps some native berry-bearing shrubs as well.But Tallamy made me realize that native trees are essential to creating a self-sustaining habitat in my garden. Yes, birds eat lots of bugs all summer long; yes, they eat seeds and berries in the fall–but they raise their young almost totally on caterpillars. In the case of one pair of Carolina chickadees that he watched, they fed their chicks 27 caterpillars in 30 minutes. It works out to 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars for one clutch of nestlings until they can fend for themselves. And the chickadee parents don’t fly more than 50 meters (164ft) from the nest to get these caterpillars.
So if you want birds in your backyard, you’ve got to provide a steady supply of caterpillars, or the birds will just die out. And the plant that feeds the greatest variety of caterpillars is–you guessed it–the oak. To be specific: 385 different kinds of moths and butterflies use the oak as a caterpillar host plant in my area. (Click here to find the best plants for wildlife for your area.)
It’s not just monarch butterflies that are picky. Apparently most caterpillars can only feed on a few (or even one) types of plants. The rest are poison to them. Some plants are food to only one kind of insect, but some–like the oak–support a whole bunch.
And in a few short weeks, we would be cutting that oak tree down.
Why?
Timber-r-r-r!
When the remaining bole of the oak toppled, it split apart on impact: The extent of the decay was greater than I had imagined.
The new normal
Now that those two impressive trees are gone, the character of the front yard has changed. The front garden beds will certainly be sunnier than they were before–and the house will be hotter in summer.
…or to chop for leaf mold. Not to mention the firewood we’ll be heating our house with.We never wanted this to happen but we are trying to make the best of a sad situation. Nothing in this life stays the same; all living things eventually die. Fortunately we have many other oaks on our land to help sustain wildlife.
It’s beautiful! What a huge change in your landscape. Sometimes it changes so dramatically difficult, especially in view. Remains at least you can put it to good use, and they can help you feed your garden a bright.
You will notice your house is hotter in the summer as you have lost all shade. Are you going to plant some new trees to provide some shade?
You necessarily need to plant few young oaks or maple instead of old trees. Hope they quickly grow and make amends for the pain.
Wow! What a huge change to your landscape. Sometimes it’s hard to see things change, especially so dramatically. It’s a bright spot that at least you can put the remains to good use and they can help feed your garden.
Although it’s sad to lose a tree, it does sound like this episode has had a few silver linings… and more work π
Do you need to leave the wood chips for a period of time, before you can use them?
It depends on what I use them for. I plan on using most of these wood chips for pathways, in which case I don’t worry about it at all. But they’ve had the whole winter to “mellow” anyway. The oak came down in November. I just got around to writing about it now.
It’s a treat to watch those guys climb and prune, even if the end result is a big loss. We have 65 yr. old maples that are having problems. When they go that will be a big chunk of my upper story planting. Trying to get oak seedlings to root as replacements.
Doug Tallamy has grown them in situ from acorns. I hope yours “take”.
And so are you going to plant some new trees to eventually provide some shade? And inquiring minds want to know what you plan to do with the lumber once it is dry!
It is very hard to lose a large, stately tree and you had to deal with losing two. As you say, nothing lives forever and now you have new light for the front garden.
I feel your pain. Over a 5 year period, all 3 Norway maples in our back yard and one gigantic maple in our neighbor’s yard had to be removed. Ours were all cut at the base and allowed to fall (directed to avoid hitting anything), but the neighbor’s had to be dismantled just like yours. It was fascinating to watch them work. And you are right. It totally changed my garden conditions (although the overpopulation of deer had ready been forcing changes). Yes, you will definitely notice your house is hotter. Ours is now unbearable in the summer as we have lost all shade. Still trying to figure out a cost effective solution to that problem. Sad to see the trees go, but better than having them fall on houses, cars, people or across your road.
Oh Kathy, I think I would be in tears! But I know gardeners β you are already thinking of what you can plant now, right? Will you plant one of those seedlings you found inside the Oak? Will you plant for more sun? Plant more natives? I know the reason I planted my Pin Oak is because I read Doug’s book and know that Oaks provide so much for nature. I don’t think I will need to worry about my Oak becoming rotten in my lifetime. I only have to worry if it develops chlorosis which so far so good, it has not. I have heard Douglas Tallamy speak several times and he never disappoints. His talks are fascinating.