In 1872, a Nebraska newspaper editor and tree lover named J. Sterling Morton proposed dedicating a day to planting trees in his home state. The idea, shall we say, took root.
That year, April 10 became the first organized , and approximately 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska. Two years later, Nebraska Gov. Robert Furnas proclaimed April 10 the state鈥檚 Arbor Day.
Other states soon set their own Arbor Day dates to coincide with the best time to there. And in 1970, President Richard Nixon declared the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day, although many states continue to observe their own, which sometimes align with the national holiday.
If you plan to this year, why not consider an oak?
鈥淎n oak is the best tree to choose because it is the No. 1 plant for 鈥� says University of Delaware entomologist and native plants champion , the New York Times bestselling author whose books include 鈥淭he Nature of Oaks.鈥�
鈥淧lants capture energy from the sun and, through photosynthesis, turn it into food 鈥� simple sugars and carbohydrates 鈥� that supports all the animals on the planet,鈥� Tallamy explained.
鈥淎ll life on Earth comes from energy provided by the sun,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we can鈥檛 eat the sun. Plants allow us to do that. We鈥檙e essentially eating energy from the sun because plants capture that energy and turn it into food 鈥� and oaks are the ones that share the most energy with other living things.鈥�
One reason oaks are so beneficial to the ecosystem is because, as , they evolved alongside , so those insects recognize them as food, Tallamy said. Oaks also belong to a large genus that鈥檚 been around for 56 million years, so wildlife has had a lot of time to adapt to them.
In all, there are 91 species of oaks across North America, so, he said, insects from coast to coast have adapted to them.
鈥淎 lot of people think they don鈥檛 have a property big enough for an oak,鈥� Tallamy said, 鈥渂ut there are dwarf oaks, like Quercus prinoides, a dwarf chestnut oak. And as you go farther west, there are a lot more dwarf oaks鈥� to choose from.
Which oak do you want?
When selecting any plant for your property, it鈥檚 important to put the right plant in the right place. So Tallamy advises matching up your and growing conditions with an appropriate oak species.
鈥淪ome oaks like ,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are oaks that like base soil. There are oaks that like rocky outcrops and ones that like bottomland.鈥�
Consider, too, your and the sunlight exposure of the site.
鈥淚f you put an oak in the front yard in the mid-Atlantic states, for example, it鈥檚 going to support 557 species of caterpillars, and all of those are ,鈥� Tallamy said.
And I can鈥檛 think of a better reason to plant an oak this Arbor Day.
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Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt 撸奶社区letter. You can sign up for weekly gardening tips and advice.
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Jessica Damiano, The Associated Press
