Oak trees cover about 10 million acres, roughly 10 percent of California’s and area. Oak tree grow in woods, parks, and the countryside. In woods, oak trees grow tall to reach the sunlight. In the open, their branches spread out wide.
California is home to 20 species of oaks, and more than half of which can be found nowhere in the world.
In ancient Greece and Rome, oak trees symbolized strength, power and endurance. They were sacred to Artemis, Cybele, Hecate and Zeus, Dodona, a healing and oracle center in Greece, was situated in an oak forest.
Urban or isolated trees many ecological functions with their counterparts in a less altered setting. California oak woodland is among the richest habitats in the state with over 300 terrestrial vertebrates and many thousands of inveterate and plant species.
More than 250 species of birds in California use these trees for food, cover and nesting. Gray squirrel, gophers, ground squirrels, raccoons and deer are commonly seen in and around oak woodlands. The leaves of oak trees are larval hosts for some of the most spectacular California butterflies.
Oak trees in California
