I have been an outdoorsy person all of my life, so much I became an ecologist. No matter how many times I feel comfortable with oaks, I always get thrown a curve ball! How do you ever figure out which oak you are looking at?First of all you need to determine where are you? Are you in a scrubby or sandhill area? Or is it a neighborhood area? Wet? This will help you determine what species you are trying to identify. Is it a sand live oak (Scrubby area) Live oak (neighborhood) or a water oak (wet) There are other characteristics, but here is another good tip....look at the tip! You may need a loupe (magnifying glass will work too) for a bristle or sharp point at the end. If it has one, it is a red oak which includes: Blackjack, bluejack, laurel, myrtle, turkey, or water. If it doesn't it is in the white oak family which includes Chapman, Live and sand post.
Really want to learn them? Get a good guide book and sketch, sketch, sketch!!!!
Sand Live Oak
