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| Our tree is either the one above or a Laurel Oak. there are 16 varieties of Florida Oak Trees, we have the leaves from 3 different types from our trees and the neighbors. if you zoom on the photo you can see the details, they are also in our house, they love to ride on shoes, feet and DOGS |
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| photos I took of our driveway edges. they are also in all our grass; the ground is covered. |
Every single catkin on the tree is now down on the ground. In research to find what they are called, I found things I never knew. I knew the fall in March, and we sneeze our heads off.
Oak catkins serve a crucial role in the reproductive cycle of oak trees.
Reproduction: each strand is tiny male flowers while on the tree, when they off they are dead and full of pollen.
Food Source: Oak catkins are an essential food source bees, butterflies, and birds. They also play a role in the production of honey and wax 4.
Acorn Development: The female flowers, which are tiny with fine filaments, catch the pollen. Once pollinated, they develop into acorns, which are the seeds of oak trees 1.
So, next time you see those oak catkins falling from the branches, remember their vital role in the oak tree’s life cycle!
They are made light weight and like tumble weeds roll into clusters and the wind blows them everywhere to spread all the yellow pollen that is on every surface as far as we can see. It is the job of each of our oak trees to feed our world. I never knew this.
NEVER rake and bag and send to the landfill. They are harmless, and much needed part of our eco system. Rake and use as mulch is the best thing to do or rake them in the grass and mulch them with lawn mower. WEAR a MASK. they can be placed in compost but that is the least good way to use them.
This LINK is a good article on them but there are so many things the info here is a mixture of reading a lot of pages.
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| Before they fall |
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| After they fall, this is a male catkin that I found had fallen on one of our orange hisbicus. Just for you Rosy and Sunny |
20 comments:
They look so junky, I had no IDEA!!!! This is so cool!!!
This is all very interesting...more to say but too tired to type it.
wow that is interesting... we love to learn new things about nature, thanks so much ...
Very interesting. I learned something new today
This is a bad time of the year for people with allergies.
I have seen the catkins, I did not know they are important to the bees.
Thanks for sharing the info. Take care, enjoy your day and your weekend.!
I am impressed with your diligence in learning so much about them.
That's the part of spring that I'm NOT looking forward to. Other trees than oaks are causing the most trouble here, though. But I guess they have their "reasons" too! ;)
Thank you for making me appreciate the millions of oak catkins and leaves and acorns that we have in our front yard and all around us! Thank you for making me appreciate the mess they make on our yard and our car and our deck and beyond! Thank you for helping me to see that even in these tiny things that accumulate and make us sneeze and struggle with clean up that there is good, and we should respect what God has provided for nature all around us. Yes, we live in the land of live oaks and probably every other of the 16 varieties of oak trees right here all around us. I will try to remember to be thankful when we are dealing with the mess out there that is our driveway and yard! LOL. I do appreciate the shade of the trees, however, and would be very sad if they were gone. This was an interesting post that made me appreciate what is falling all around me every time I walk out the door! But I do love to see the fresh new bright spring green leaves now appearing on the trees and knowing that they are healthy and happy and ready to start a new cycle of life. Happy Oak Tree days! :)
Hari OM
Oooh, I say - that was fun to learn, and yes, always appreciate the trees know what they are doing!!! YAM xx
Okay if you say so - but I saw 'achew'! LOL
WOW, that was very interesting and of course I didn't know any of that.
Now I'm wondering why we've not seen any yet this year?! This is all great info I'm going to share with you-know-who. Sneezing's a small price to pay for keep our oaks happy.
PS - Headed to the VA shortly, but I'll be back to read that article.
Sneezy season is upon us in NC too.
This morning the cars were painted a dusty YELLOW
Hugs Cecilia
It is sneezy season in NC too. This morning the cars were painted a dusty YELLOW
Hugs Cecilia
They are essential. God put them there for a reason. Best to leave things be. Oh, and I mulch mine too. No wonder our Oaks are so healthy!
Blessings. ❤️🔥
Wow! I'm sure that I could not handle that pollen. We don't get much here in southern CA but I know I had some allergies last year after the amount of rain we had. Thank for sharing this information.
We had these in Texas on the live oaks...they are a necessary sneeze maker BOL!
Rosy says thank you for her beautiful flower!
Thank you for the valuable information!
We learned something new and interesting. But they sure do make a mess on the sidewalk:)
Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber
That time of the year again! Very interesting reading, thanks Sandra!
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