Ray’s Thought for the Day - Live Oak Decline
Some of us have been adventuring around over in Gillespie and Kimble counties lately. We saw thousands of oak trees that are dead or dying. Live oak decline, a virus, is probably, along with periodic severe drought and ever increasing warm temperature, part of the cause. But we definitely saw one leaf that exhibited veinal necrosis so that’s live oak decline, fer sure. At any rate there are lots of dead live oaks (Quercus virginiana) (RGVECB does not accept the ridiculous name Q. fusiformis), shin oaks (Quercus sinuata) and Texas oak (Quercus Buckleyi). There are lots of post oaks (Quercus stellata) in those parts too, but we did not see any dead ones that were obviously dead in the same way as the oaks previously noted were obviously dead.
Interestingly, much effort and expense have been expended in those parts, over the last 100 or so years on Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) eradication, and in those parts, the eradication effort, undertaken seriously and repetitively, has been largely successful. We encountered very few woodlands wherein Ashe juniper could be accounted an important canopy dominant. Instead, live oak is ubiquitous, except of course where it is dying off. Also, interestingly, when the live oak dies off, a shrub layer with Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana) as the principal component, is much in evidence. And as everyone but the ignorant and vulgar know, a shrub layer dominated by Texas persimmon in those parts is Black-capped Vireo habitat.
We also saw a good many introduced mammals including two, one-hump camels, but the camels were seen on the way back, in Hays County.
Interestingly, much effort and expense have been expended in those parts, over the last 100 or so years on Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) eradication, and in those parts, the eradication effort, undertaken seriously and repetitively, has been largely successful. We encountered very few woodlands wherein Ashe juniper could be accounted an important canopy dominant. Instead, live oak is ubiquitous, except of course where it is dying off. Also, interestingly, when the live oak dies off, a shrub layer with Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana) as the principal component, is much in evidence. And as everyone but the ignorant and vulgar know, a shrub layer dominated by Texas persimmon in those parts is Black-capped Vireo habitat.
We also saw a good many introduced mammals including two, one-hump camels, but the camels were seen on the way back, in Hays County.
posted by ray pistrum at Tuesday, August 09, 2005
2 Comments:
I have seen a true Coast Live Oak (Q. virginana)of know orgin, planted next to a plateau live oak (Q.fusiformis)also of know orgin and the difference is real and easy to spot, the bark is very different, the acorn is very different, the leaf shape is moderatly different as the branching habit.
Jim Jam
While I, Ray do not for a second doubt that what you have observed is factual, and perhaps the coastal and plateau ones are separate species, for personal reasons, I have decided that they are not, and refuse to acknowledge the separate existence of the plateau one, nomenclaturally. One has to make a stand somewhere.
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