black oak, Quercus velutina

We all know where the mighty oaks come from. But what about the acorns? The little golden bits here are the stigmas of the female flowers of black oak. Pollinate them and in two years you will have acorns. And we all know what happens then. You get quercitron! Quercitron is a yellow pigment that was formerly commercially produced from the inner bark of black oaks. But back to those acorns which black oaks produce in great numbers. Relatively few ever become trees because they are eaten by many animals. We really should appreciate squirrels and their habit of planting acorns. Black oak grows in AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV, and ON. Lenawee Co MI, 5/16/21. Beech family, Fagaceae.