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The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees
“With our hearts and minds focused on the stewardship of the only planet we have, the best way to engage in a hopeful future is to plant oaks! Let this book be your inspiration and guide.” —The American Gardener
With Bringing Nature Home , Doug Tallamy changed the conversation about gardening in America. His second book, the New York Times bestseller Nature’s Best Hope , urged homeowners to take conservation into their own hands. Now, he turns his advocacy to one of the most important species of the plant kingdom—the mighty oak tree.
Oaks sustain a complex and fascinating web of wildlife. The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area. The Nature of Oaks will inspire you to treasure these trees and to act to nurture and protect them.
With Bringing Nature Home , Doug Tallamy changed the conversation about gardening in America. His second book, the New York Times bestseller Nature’s Best Hope , urged homeowners to take conservation into their own hands. Now, he turns his advocacy to one of the most important species of the plant kingdom—the mighty oak tree.
Oaks sustain a complex and fascinating web of wildlife. The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area. The Nature of Oaks will inspire you to treasure these trees and to act to nurture and protect them.
197 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2021
About the author
Douglas W. Tallamy
9 books332 followersDoug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 88 research publications and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, Humans and Nature, Insect Ecology, and other courses for 36 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers' Association. The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014. Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 377 reviews
September 18, 2021
This was sooo good!! I borrowed the audio from the library but I want my physical copy do I can make notes and plant my acorns etc. Alas, it’s on my damn Amazon wishlist! I hope I’ll be able to get it soon. The book is full of things I never knew! When I get my physical book, I’ll come back and leave some quotes and pictures!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
March 28, 2023
The author is a professor at the University of Delaware, a specialist in entomology (bugs to me) and a lover of oaks. In this book he goes to great pains to explain his interest in oak trees and their benefits to ecology. It is not designed for his academic fellows. I can see its use in school libraries and classrooms, especially for young adults. Tallamy shows how the oak tree is preeminent among trees supporting our ecosystem. Examples show how the beloved tree does the best job of supporting caterpillars, insect life, spiders, birds and vertebrates, as well as being a major player in the purification of water and air.
I like the photos showing not just interesting specimens, but insects in action. Tallamy and some of his students took many of the photos. He has an excessive love of exclamation points! So many paragraphs and chapters end with them! It drove me crazy after a while! Really!! The book will rightfully have an audience for its information but not its style (no exclamation).
I like the photos showing not just interesting specimens, but insects in action. Tallamy and some of his students took many of the photos. He has an excessive love of exclamation points! So many paragraphs and chapters end with them! It drove me crazy after a while! Really!! The book will rightfully have an audience for its information but not its style (no exclamation).
September 2, 2022
▫️THE NATURE OF OAKS: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees by Douglas W. Tallamy, 2021
"No other tree genus supports so much life; oaks are top life-support trees in 84% of the counties in North America... There is good evidence that oaks shine brighter than other plants in their contributions to biodiversity on [all] levels: national, regional, and even of a single yard."
Starting in October of the year, Professor Tallamy walks through each month and season in the life of oak trees and the VAST life they support in each crevasse of bark, in each leaf, and under the soil and leaf litter.
From moss, fungi, microorganisms in the soil and surrounding ground, to the incredible diversity of insect life, birds, and small mammals (bats!) in the higher crown of the tree - it's a monthly journal of the oaks in his own yard, and the web of life that he studies as an entomologist and wildlife ecologist based in the Mid-Atlantic / East Coast US.
Since I also call this region home, this book was especially great to learn about things that are happening RIGHT now in the trees outside my window. The trees I see each day on walks with my dog, the leaves I rake and mow over...
Well aware of oaks in my 'hood, but this book spurred a closer look at different times of day/night to see what I could see from my low vantage point on the earth.
And that's the thing....
There is SO MUCH we don't see or grasp. There is SO MUCH that we take for granted. There's so much that we don't know.
🔍TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. Take some time to marvel.
See also - similar theme:
▫️THE FOREST UNSEEN: A Years Watch in Nature by David George Haskell, 2012.
(And Haskell blurbed THE NATURE OF OAKS, so it's cool to see the connected!)
"No other tree genus supports so much life; oaks are top life-support trees in 84% of the counties in North America... There is good evidence that oaks shine brighter than other plants in their contributions to biodiversity on [all] levels: national, regional, and even of a single yard."
Starting in October of the year, Professor Tallamy walks through each month and season in the life of oak trees and the VAST life they support in each crevasse of bark, in each leaf, and under the soil and leaf litter.
From moss, fungi, microorganisms in the soil and surrounding ground, to the incredible diversity of insect life, birds, and small mammals (bats!) in the higher crown of the tree - it's a monthly journal of the oaks in his own yard, and the web of life that he studies as an entomologist and wildlife ecologist based in the Mid-Atlantic / East Coast US.
Since I also call this region home, this book was especially great to learn about things that are happening RIGHT now in the trees outside my window. The trees I see each day on walks with my dog, the leaves I rake and mow over...
Well aware of oaks in my 'hood, but this book spurred a closer look at different times of day/night to see what I could see from my low vantage point on the earth.
And that's the thing....
There is SO MUCH we don't see or grasp. There is SO MUCH that we take for granted. There's so much that we don't know.
🔍TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. Take some time to marvel.
See also - similar theme:
▫️THE FOREST UNSEEN: A Years Watch in Nature by David George Haskell, 2012.
(And Haskell blurbed THE NATURE OF OAKS, so it's cool to see the connected!)
March 15, 2023
Douglas Tallamy really likes oaks. Not in the same way that you or I might like trees, and therefore appreciate the grandeur of a big, old tree, which might happen to be an oak. Tallamy appears to think that oaks are the best trees, that they are uniquely important, that no other trees are quite as good, and that if everybody knew all the ways in which oaks are awesome, they would all be as big a fan of oak trees as he is. We have likely all met that type, albeit not usually for oaks; the amiable zealot, who is enthusiastic without being off-putting. They think oaks, or impressionist paintings, or punk rock bands from a certain city and decade, or squirrels, or whatever-it-is are awesome, and they cannot really imagine any reason for other people to not be so impressed with their awesomeness except for lack of knowledge, so they abound with energy and excitement in telling you the good news. As Merlin Tuttle was for bats, Douglas Tallamy is for oaks, you might say.
You don't have to agree with such a person to find their energy infectious. I find oaks to be perfectly nice trees, and even agree that their long lifespan and abundant production of acorns is useful and important for various species. I don't suppose that I will ever be as enthused about oaks as Tallamy, but in addition to enjoying oaks, I enjoy the spectacle of a human being gushing with knowledge and enthusiasm for their topic, whatever it is.
Tallamy starts in October, and devotes a chapter to each month around to September, telling us what is the deal with oaks (in his latitude, anyway) during that month. It's a sensible enough method of telling you about how oaks work. He tells you about all the many, many critters that live and/or munch on its acorns, its leaves, and its branches.
The house where I have lived for over two decades now has mostly chinaberry trees, and I am not especially fond of them, not least because they are now old enough to be in the habit of dropping large branches on my roof or car. If the people who built the house in the 1980's had planted oaks instead of chinaberries, I would probably have less trouble now. Although it does mean I have no shortage of firewood.
Since it's a book about oaks, there's no reason you have to sprint through it. You could read one chapter a month, perhaps while sitting under an oak tree (if the weather is clement enough to do so). It leaves one feeling calm and serene.
You don't have to agree with such a person to find their energy infectious. I find oaks to be perfectly nice trees, and even agree that their long lifespan and abundant production of acorns is useful and important for various species. I don't suppose that I will ever be as enthused about oaks as Tallamy, but in addition to enjoying oaks, I enjoy the spectacle of a human being gushing with knowledge and enthusiasm for their topic, whatever it is.
Tallamy starts in October, and devotes a chapter to each month around to September, telling us what is the deal with oaks (in his latitude, anyway) during that month. It's a sensible enough method of telling you about how oaks work. He tells you about all the many, many critters that live and/or munch on its acorns, its leaves, and its branches.
The house where I have lived for over two decades now has mostly chinaberry trees, and I am not especially fond of them, not least because they are now old enough to be in the habit of dropping large branches on my roof or car. If the people who built the house in the 1980's had planted oaks instead of chinaberries, I would probably have less trouble now. Although it does mean I have no shortage of firewood.
Since it's a book about oaks, there's no reason you have to sprint through it. You could read one chapter a month, perhaps while sitting under an oak tree (if the weather is clement enough to do so). It leaves one feeling calm and serene.
March 21, 2021
Thank you so much, NetGalley, Douglas W. Tallamy, and Timber Press for the opportunity to read this book!
My husband and I recently purchased an acre in the mountains in Southern California. We have plans to build a home and get further away from the city. This property is covered with oak trees. Specifically, Coastal Live Oaks and Interior Live Oaks. So I was overjoyed to get approved for The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy. I have heard so much about his work and actually have many more of his books on my shelf! But since I will be living among the oak trees, I thought it would be best to learn more about them. This book is broken up into each month with a glimpse of what to expect from your oak trees. Most importantly, what creatures to see throughout the year. Oaks sustain so much life, from the smallest of insects to gray squirrels, to bears. I can attest to this. While visiting our property, I saw a creature that was the size of a small dog. It was a gray squirrel, but the BIGGEST gray squirrel I have ever seen! It clearly enjoys the feast!
Not only does this book go onto describe the creature but also about the pressing reasons we need to conserve these vital trees.
“Alarming headlines from around the world are reminding us of the critical linkage between plants and insects; we have removed more than half of the forests on earth and, not surprisingly, insect populations have declined globally by at least 45% since 1979. And again, it should be no surprise that with insect declines come bird declines. There are now 3 billion fewer birds in North America than there were 50 years ago, and over 430 bird species in North America are declining so rapidly that they are now considered at risk for extinction.”
THE NATURE OF OAKS
Conservation is so important and I plan on taking all his advice. I also plan to purchase this book for future reference! I was approved for this book 2 days before my father passed and it was a book that I was so excited to tell him about as he loved trees and nature as well. For this reason, this book hit me emotionally as well. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
My husband and I recently purchased an acre in the mountains in Southern California. We have plans to build a home and get further away from the city. This property is covered with oak trees. Specifically, Coastal Live Oaks and Interior Live Oaks. So I was overjoyed to get approved for The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy. I have heard so much about his work and actually have many more of his books on my shelf! But since I will be living among the oak trees, I thought it would be best to learn more about them. This book is broken up into each month with a glimpse of what to expect from your oak trees. Most importantly, what creatures to see throughout the year. Oaks sustain so much life, from the smallest of insects to gray squirrels, to bears. I can attest to this. While visiting our property, I saw a creature that was the size of a small dog. It was a gray squirrel, but the BIGGEST gray squirrel I have ever seen! It clearly enjoys the feast!
Not only does this book go onto describe the creature but also about the pressing reasons we need to conserve these vital trees.
“Alarming headlines from around the world are reminding us of the critical linkage between plants and insects; we have removed more than half of the forests on earth and, not surprisingly, insect populations have declined globally by at least 45% since 1979. And again, it should be no surprise that with insect declines come bird declines. There are now 3 billion fewer birds in North America than there were 50 years ago, and over 430 bird species in North America are declining so rapidly that they are now considered at risk for extinction.”
THE NATURE OF OAKS
Conservation is so important and I plan on taking all his advice. I also plan to purchase this book for future reference! I was approved for this book 2 days before my father passed and it was a book that I was so excited to tell him about as he loved trees and nature as well. For this reason, this book hit me emotionally as well. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
November 28, 2020
Fascinating And Easy Read. This is one of those esoteric books that you didn't know you wanted to read that turns out to be utterly fascinating... at least if you're remotely interested in caterpillars and similar insects. The narrative structure takes on each month of the year, beginning in October, and looks at what is happening within, on, under, and around an oak tree within that month - and there is quite a bit more than most probably realize. Written by an academic who studies oaks and with a particular emphasis on what he sees in the oaks within his own yard, this book is remarkably approachable and I daresay even funny - which is rare for such an academic tome. But that seems to have been at least part of the author's goal - to write a tale for the rest of us showing just why these trees are so important and the rich biodiversity they support. This is a goal the author pulled off remarkably well, and this book is very much recommended.
September 10, 2021
I really just want to plant a bunch of oak trees in my backyard now.
June 10, 2021
This book is absolutely FASCINATING. If you are a resident of North America and love nature and want to protect the environment, then this is a VERY good book to give you some very good ideas on how to do that.
The cover is GORGEOUS and the pictures inside are JUST as beautiful.
And then there is the information...wow, I had NO IDEA oak trees were so important to the environment in North America. The amount of species that are specialized and literally can't live without oak trees is impressive.
This book comes with a warning, the typical one I give for all nature books. This book will make you hate humanity and how we seem to only be good at killing things. It will enrage you. Especially if you know anyone who has blithely cut down a majestic oak tree because "it's putting the wires on the house in danger with it's branches and it's cheaper and less trouble to take the tree down than to maintain the tree in a sustainable manner". (Speaking from bitter experience here. But I digress.)
This book not only breaks down the life of an oak tree month by month, detailing all of the life that thrives around said tree, at the end of the book there are practical ways we can make the world and the environment a little bit better, and it doesn't take scads of money, just some thoughtfulness and time.
Seriously, this book is a must read if you love the environment and live in North America (oaks are native in North America, not trying to eliminate a huge majority of the planet, though if you don't live here, it wouldn't hurt to read this book. The information is fascinating and the pictures are gorgeous.)
The book is slightly depressing, but it has hope at the end and the hope is the reader themselves. What can we do? We can plant a tree! Well, planting a grove of trees, three or more, is better than just one, as when you plant them together at an appropriate distance, their roots interlock and they are much stronger than just one tree and can withstand very severe weather better than just one tree.
Also, DON'T RAKE the leaves! There is a WHOLE ECOSYSTEM that relies on the leaf litter under the trees when the leaves fall. So, instead, plant other appropriate vegetation under the trees so the leaf litter is able to stay where it falls and the neighborhood won't be upset that you aren't raking and your place looks messy. Win-win!
I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is, unfortunately, necessary now, because yeah, only have one planet and kind of need to keep it going or we won't last much longer. 5, I had NO idea oaks were so darn amazing, stars!
My thanks to NetGalley and Timber Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
The cover is GORGEOUS and the pictures inside are JUST as beautiful.
And then there is the information...wow, I had NO IDEA oak trees were so important to the environment in North America. The amount of species that are specialized and literally can't live without oak trees is impressive.
This book comes with a warning, the typical one I give for all nature books. This book will make you hate humanity and how we seem to only be good at killing things. It will enrage you. Especially if you know anyone who has blithely cut down a majestic oak tree because "it's putting the wires on the house in danger with it's branches and it's cheaper and less trouble to take the tree down than to maintain the tree in a sustainable manner". (Speaking from bitter experience here. But I digress.)
This book not only breaks down the life of an oak tree month by month, detailing all of the life that thrives around said tree, at the end of the book there are practical ways we can make the world and the environment a little bit better, and it doesn't take scads of money, just some thoughtfulness and time.
Seriously, this book is a must read if you love the environment and live in North America (oaks are native in North America, not trying to eliminate a huge majority of the planet, though if you don't live here, it wouldn't hurt to read this book. The information is fascinating and the pictures are gorgeous.)
The book is slightly depressing, but it has hope at the end and the hope is the reader themselves. What can we do? We can plant a tree! Well, planting a grove of trees, three or more, is better than just one, as when you plant them together at an appropriate distance, their roots interlock and they are much stronger than just one tree and can withstand very severe weather better than just one tree.
Also, DON'T RAKE the leaves! There is a WHOLE ECOSYSTEM that relies on the leaf litter under the trees when the leaves fall. So, instead, plant other appropriate vegetation under the trees so the leaf litter is able to stay where it falls and the neighborhood won't be upset that you aren't raking and your place looks messy. Win-win!
I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is, unfortunately, necessary now, because yeah, only have one planet and kind of need to keep it going or we won't last much longer. 5, I had NO idea oaks were so darn amazing, stars!
My thanks to NetGalley and Timber Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2022
One half of my double major in college was agroecology. I don’t work in that field anymore, but I try to consistently read books in this vein. I think you could quantify this short book as a long persuasive essay. And persuasive essays end with a call to action. And a successful persuasive essay convinces you to take that action. The Nature of Oaks was a success as I plan to plant oak trees on our property this spring.
It was time to start planting trees ten years ago when we moved here, but now is the second best time. As we have been thinking about landscaping and what would be beautiful, Tallamy made a key point that I had forgotten. An ornamental landscaping plant may be visually appealing and even able to grow in your area, but it doesn’t have many existing relationships with your native insects and wildlife.
The oak, where it naturally occurs, is a keystone species providing habitat and food to numerous forms of life. A simple yard can be an important environmental niche that increases the complexity and therefore the health of the web of life in an area if we choose our plants wisely.
It was time to start planting trees ten years ago when we moved here, but now is the second best time. As we have been thinking about landscaping and what would be beautiful, Tallamy made a key point that I had forgotten. An ornamental landscaping plant may be visually appealing and even able to grow in your area, but it doesn’t have many existing relationships with your native insects and wildlife.
The oak, where it naturally occurs, is a keystone species providing habitat and food to numerous forms of life. A simple yard can be an important environmental niche that increases the complexity and therefore the health of the web of life in an area if we choose our plants wisely.
April 1, 2024
This would perhaps be more accurately titled "The Nature of Oaks: An Entomologist's Perspective." Still, highly entertaining and informative! Katydids are much more fascinating than I ever realized. Who knew!
Notable pages for future reference
56- leaf litter
68- allergies (brief)
79- evolutionary arms race RE pesticides
83- Trouvelot and species intro (gypsy moth)
Notable pages for future reference
56- leaf litter
68- allergies (brief)
79- evolutionary arms race RE pesticides
83- Trouvelot and species intro (gypsy moth)
September 20, 2021
You might also enjoy:
✱ A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There
✱ The Hidden Life of Trees
✱ Lab Girl
✱ The Trees in My Forest
✱ A Naturalist at Large: The Best Essays of Bernd Heinrich
✱ One Wild Bird at a Time: Portraits of Individual Lives
✱ Summer World: A Season of Bounty
✱ Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival
✱ The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature
✱ The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature's Great Connectors
✱ In Search of the Canary Tree
✱ Finding the Mother Tree
✱ Gods, Wasps and Stranglers
✱ Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects
✱ A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There
✱ The Hidden Life of Trees
✱ Lab Girl
✱ The Trees in My Forest
✱ A Naturalist at Large: The Best Essays of Bernd Heinrich
✱ One Wild Bird at a Time: Portraits of Individual Lives
✱ Summer World: A Season of Bounty
✱ Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival
✱ The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature
✱ The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature's Great Connectors
✱ In Search of the Canary Tree
✱ Finding the Mother Tree
✱ Gods, Wasps and Stranglers
✱ Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects
August 4, 2021
The Nature of Oaks is (literally) everything you didn't realize you wanted to know about the humble oak tree in America.
August 1, 2023
An enjoyable book that centers oak trees as a provider of habitat and various ecosystem services. Wonderful referenced theories and insights throughout. Leaned a little heavy into the insect world, but the author is an entomologist, so I can forgive that! Highly digestible, accessible without “dumbing down” the science.
September 19, 2024
Really delightful book! Reading this is like visiting the museum of oak trees. There's lots of great information and beautiful pictures of all the oak-related flora and fauna.
I especially love the tone of this book. Most scientists are best at academic writing, where the tone is very dry and you can't give a quote without an elaboration. There's one point where Tallamy quotes a paper and the elaboration is simply "So true!" Absolutely love it. Very approachable with good, amiable humor mixed in. Tallamy uses plenty of scientific literature while also making the book readable and enjoyable by literally anyone.
The book does exactly what it's trying to do and is a joy the whole way through in a quick and easy read. 5/5
I especially love the tone of this book. Most scientists are best at academic writing, where the tone is very dry and you can't give a quote without an elaboration. There's one point where Tallamy quotes a paper and the elaboration is simply "So true!" Absolutely love it. Very approachable with good, amiable humor mixed in. Tallamy uses plenty of scientific literature while also making the book readable and enjoyable by literally anyone.
The book does exactly what it's trying to do and is a joy the whole way through in a quick and easy read. 5/5
December 15, 2020
I audibly celebrated when I found this on NetGalley to read in advance. Douglas Tallamy is a national treasure. I first read his book "The Living Landscape", and while I admired the photos and made lots of notes for my own yard, I did not fully appreciate his expertise. Several years ago I heard David Mizejewski speak, and he made special note of Tallamy's assertion that native oak trees support over 500 species of caterpillars. After subsequently reading all of Tallamy's books, I was delighted by "The Nature of Oaks" for both its format and content.
We have multiple mature oaks on our 1+ acre, so while the information is relevant for any reader, I found it especially enlightening on a personal level. I am looking forward to owning a copy so that I can follow along month by month with my own oak trees. Tallamy writes in such a warm and authentic way that I can imagine what it would be like to hear him tell us these naturalist tidbits in person. This book is solidly in my "Did You Know" category because while reading it I kept hunting down my husband to say "Did you know..." about things so interesting I just had to share them with someone! It was also a quick and informative read, but also one I will want to read again to pack all of it in my brain.
We have multiple mature oaks on our 1+ acre, so while the information is relevant for any reader, I found it especially enlightening on a personal level. I am looking forward to owning a copy so that I can follow along month by month with my own oak trees. Tallamy writes in such a warm and authentic way that I can imagine what it would be like to hear him tell us these naturalist tidbits in person. This book is solidly in my "Did You Know" category because while reading it I kept hunting down my husband to say "Did you know..." about things so interesting I just had to share them with someone! It was also a quick and informative read, but also one I will want to read again to pack all of it in my brain.
December 19, 2021
Very interesting facts about not only oak tress themselves but all the insects, birds, worms, cicadas, etc. that depend on oak trees as key to survival. Fascinating to contemplate the ancillary species; I never realized so many.
November 5, 2022
In Nature’s Best Hope, Tallamy introduced me to the idea of keystone species - those species that support the most other life. In the plant world in the US, the oak is the king of the keystone species. In 84% of the counties in the US, oaks are the top supporter of other life. In the Nature of Oaks, Tallamy digs in on all the ways that oaks contribute to our environment - from providing food and shelter for insects and the birds that eat them, to containing and storing carbon for a long haul, to protecting our watersheds. This is heavy on the science, which I appreciate, but it’s done in a way that feels very accessible. I would not have said I was much of an insect person but the more I learn about them and their contributions to our natural world, the more fascinating I find them. When I read a book that makes me say ‘“who knew”, that creates interest in areas I hadn’t cared about for, that makes me chuckle at times, and that inspires me to take action, I know it is a great read. Sometimes when you read a book or article on the environment, it feels like there is no middle ground and as a reader, you feel like there isn’t anything you can do or that unless you are willing to go to extremes, you can’t make a difference. In Tallamy’s work, it feels more balanced. He very much talks about the importance of native plants to the environment, but also allows that there are plants that you choose just because you love them - as long as they aren’t invasive and the majority of your plants are native, he advocates that there is room for both. The Nature of Oaks is the perfect book to pick up if you’d like to learn a little more about the world around us and get ideas on how to take ideas to impact your local environment. Also - go plant a tree.
January 21, 2024
All the stars! This was an excellent read. It made me wonder if I’ve been reading all the wrong natural history books that, while interesting, always put me to sleep. I couldn’t put this one down! It had something fascinating on every page and was full of pictures so I didn’t have to stop and Google to see what was being discussed. He even shares a few different methods throughout to better observe some of the insects on your oaks. I got this on Kindle and definitely want to buy a physical copy to have for reference.
February 26, 2023
Compelling summary of the powers of oak trees to restore our North American landscapes. The book is half oak information/half insect review. And now I’m desperate to find out how to squeeze a pair of oaks into our tiny city plot...
April 4, 2023
You get one page on oak leaves, maybe two on acorns, and a hundred pages of exquisite description of the insects that eat both (and each other). If all this destruction bothers you, the author recommends a 10 step approach: take ten steps back, and you won't see the damage inflicted on the oak.
Informative book with lots of photos of... not oaks. Of insects. Lots and lots of insects. You will learn a lot.
Informative book with lots of photos of... not oaks. Of insects. Lots and lots of insects. You will learn a lot.
February 25, 2022
I loved this book. I learned so much about the oak trees in our neighborhood, and all of the wildlife they support. What a lovely, durable tree.
The book’s chapters are the months of the year. I read it much faster, but I am glad that I bought a copy instead of getting it from the library so I can use it as a reference in the future.
I appreciated the author’s focus on figuring out what kind of native tree or shrubs grows well where you live (there’s an oak for every region!), and then just planting. All of the bugs and birds who rely on that species are already in your neighborhood. Conservation doesn’t have to be on a giant scale - you can do it in your own little yard.
New word: marcescense, when trees hold onto their dead leaves much longer than is typical. No one really knows why they do it, but now I know what’s going on with a tree down the street.
The book’s chapters are the months of the year. I read it much faster, but I am glad that I bought a copy instead of getting it from the library so I can use it as a reference in the future.
I appreciated the author’s focus on figuring out what kind of native tree or shrubs grows well where you live (there’s an oak for every region!), and then just planting. All of the bugs and birds who rely on that species are already in your neighborhood. Conservation doesn’t have to be on a giant scale - you can do it in your own little yard.
New word: marcescense, when trees hold onto their dead leaves much longer than is typical. No one really knows why they do it, but now I know what’s going on with a tree down the street.
March 8, 2021
From the oaks in his backyard to the many species of oaks in North America, the author tells us of the myriad of insect species these trees support - and from the insects the birdlife is supported.
If you don't want to know about or see insects, larvae and parasitoids, this is not the book for you. If you're willing to be interested, the many wonderful colour photos in my ARC will instil a respect in you for the volume and variety of species an oak can support.
The author explains many facets of oak trees through a year. The brown leaves are not shed low on the tree, especially on young trees. The dry leaves protect a little against browsing animals, also sheltering the buds from frost. Fallen leaves, which his father once raked and burnt, actually help trap water and provide a home for insects and a litter for fertiliser. Gall wasps lay eggs in leaves and twigs, protected by a hard gall which the tree obligingly grows. Why does the tree put up with this larva pest? If the larvae had to keep moving they would probably damage cells and stem structures as they ate.
Small birds fly through and forage over winter, picking off invisible insects such as overwintering caterpillars. As oaks live so long, a single tree is a massive milestone in the landscape, a place to feed for migrant and wintering and nesting birds. And prior to humans eliminating the massive herbivores, the oak canopy would have been broken up by browsing and scratching activities, so far more biodiversity would exist in a mosaic of woodlands.
If you are interested in studying forestry, ecology, trees or insects, this will be a hugely important book to read - particularly if you live in North America which I do not. I don't have all these kinds of oak. But this book gives me a good feel for them, and warns of imported plants, insects or other animals which, devoid of predators, devour unstoppably. I find it easy enough to read, but I do already know something about trees and ecology. For the nervous, I will add that it's packed with interesting anecdotes rather than graphs, so it doesn't come across as a textbook. Most terms are explained in the text, but we can also Google new words.
References on P. 160 - 162, followed by How to plant an oak. That and a list of oaks go to P. 185. Index P. 186 - 197. As the references are given with first initial, I am unable to tell how many items were by women.
I downloaded this e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
If you don't want to know about or see insects, larvae and parasitoids, this is not the book for you. If you're willing to be interested, the many wonderful colour photos in my ARC will instil a respect in you for the volume and variety of species an oak can support.
The author explains many facets of oak trees through a year. The brown leaves are not shed low on the tree, especially on young trees. The dry leaves protect a little against browsing animals, also sheltering the buds from frost. Fallen leaves, which his father once raked and burnt, actually help trap water and provide a home for insects and a litter for fertiliser. Gall wasps lay eggs in leaves and twigs, protected by a hard gall which the tree obligingly grows. Why does the tree put up with this larva pest? If the larvae had to keep moving they would probably damage cells and stem structures as they ate.
Small birds fly through and forage over winter, picking off invisible insects such as overwintering caterpillars. As oaks live so long, a single tree is a massive milestone in the landscape, a place to feed for migrant and wintering and nesting birds. And prior to humans eliminating the massive herbivores, the oak canopy would have been broken up by browsing and scratching activities, so far more biodiversity would exist in a mosaic of woodlands.
If you are interested in studying forestry, ecology, trees or insects, this will be a hugely important book to read - particularly if you live in North America which I do not. I don't have all these kinds of oak. But this book gives me a good feel for them, and warns of imported plants, insects or other animals which, devoid of predators, devour unstoppably. I find it easy enough to read, but I do already know something about trees and ecology. For the nervous, I will add that it's packed with interesting anecdotes rather than graphs, so it doesn't come across as a textbook. Most terms are explained in the text, but we can also Google new words.
References on P. 160 - 162, followed by How to plant an oak. That and a list of oaks go to P. 185. Index P. 186 - 197. As the references are given with first initial, I am unable to tell how many items were by women.
I downloaded this e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
January 23, 2022
I liked portions of this book, and disliked a great deal of it. The format was interesting and enjoyable, but if I was a layperson getting interested in environmental conservation or just the structure of the natural world the first couple of chapters would have turned me off (I had to take a couple months break from the book and came back to it and was able to enjoy portions of it more).
Dr. Tallamy has a wonderful understanding and breadth of knowledge, for obvious reasons, surrounding entomology, and it is interesting to explore the species that have evolved to survive in conjunction with oaks. But after awhile the book just felt like every chapter told the same story; a month-by-month run through of the species that rely on oaks and why oaks are important to conservation. Now there are other aspects that are briefly touched on, but the main focus is the abundance of species that depend directly on individual or groups of oaks. This was fascinating to begin with but ultimately, for me, the book felt like a rundown of Dr. Tallamy’s favorite oak insects as a means to call folks, who are likely environmentally conscious already, to do the bare minimum possible to alter the course of environmental alteration.
The book could have been more compelling. For those interested in oaks specifically this is a very neat read. One of my favorite things about the book is the short length.
Dr. Tallamy has a wonderful understanding and breadth of knowledge, for obvious reasons, surrounding entomology, and it is interesting to explore the species that have evolved to survive in conjunction with oaks. But after awhile the book just felt like every chapter told the same story; a month-by-month run through of the species that rely on oaks and why oaks are important to conservation. Now there are other aspects that are briefly touched on, but the main focus is the abundance of species that depend directly on individual or groups of oaks. This was fascinating to begin with but ultimately, for me, the book felt like a rundown of Dr. Tallamy’s favorite oak insects as a means to call folks, who are likely environmentally conscious already, to do the bare minimum possible to alter the course of environmental alteration.
The book could have been more compelling. For those interested in oaks specifically this is a very neat read. One of my favorite things about the book is the short length.
December 4, 2021
The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy resonated with me because four huge oak trees hover over the house where I live. My neighborhood was developed for over a century within an oak savanna, and these majestic trees are familiar to me. However, this book made me realize how little I knew about their value. In the prologue the author says, “Oaks support more forms of life and more fascinating interactions than any other tree genus in North America.” The author sets out to prove this with chapters that take the reader through a month-by-month description of growth cycles, not only of the tree itself, but of the myriad species that depend on it: weevils, ants, moths, caterpillars, galls, inchworms, treehoppers, cicadas, katydids, slugs, walkingsticks, tree crickets. The birds, wasps, hornets, and yellowjackets that depend on these food sources add to the oak’s value.
The book includes excellent colored photographs, information about planting an oak, the best oak options to plant across the U.S., and a useful index. Even though it includes more scientific names than I needed to know, the lively, down-to-earth writing was a pleasure to read.
The book includes excellent colored photographs, information about planting an oak, the best oak options to plant across the U.S., and a useful index. Even though it includes more scientific names than I needed to know, the lively, down-to-earth writing was a pleasure to read.
September 27, 2023
First read of 2023 and first logged here. The author recently had a piece in Fine Gardening, a favorite magazine, and I checked out the book when I saw it featured at the library. Everyone loves this book, and it's full of little stories of oak associated insects and their interesting lives. I learned some new entomology words- exuviae, eclose, crypsis. By length, it's more of an essay than a book, but it makes for good bedtime reading.
I think it ought to respect its reader more and assume a higher level of base knowledge. You can be both scholarly and accessible. Its folksy tone was irritating at times. I get that he's an entomologist, but I wish there was more interest in oak associated fungi- just a few sentences about mycorrhizae. Where's the oak gall rusts, chicken of the woods, sudden oak death, bur oak blight?
In general a good read.
I think it ought to respect its reader more and assume a higher level of base knowledge. You can be both scholarly and accessible. Its folksy tone was irritating at times. I get that he's an entomologist, but I wish there was more interest in oak associated fungi- just a few sentences about mycorrhizae. Where's the oak gall rusts, chicken of the woods, sudden oak death, bur oak blight?
In general a good read.
May 15, 2021
I love books that call my attention and wonder to normally overlooked aspects of the world. This little book did exactly that. Given the subject matter, I expected The Nature of Oaks to be incredibly dry and bogged down in minutiae, but I wanted an audiobook to take my mind off the stresses of work and school while still teaching me something useful. This was perfect! Tallamy somehow managed to keep my attention for hours while describing the habits of various birds, bugs, and plants that depend on oak trees for their existence throughout the year. I never expected to find caterpillars so interesting. This is one those books whose contents ought to be common knowledge. We’d make much better choices interacting with the world around us, if it was. I highly recommend!
February 27, 2022
Look, Tallamy is an entomologist. This is more a book about bugs than trees. Bugs are great and incredibly important to our whole ecosystem, and oaks are key to their survival. You should plant an oak tree if you can, or ideally several, and Tallamy does a good job explaining why. But if you're hoping to learn about the trees themselves, you're likely to be disappointed by the pages and pages of discussion and many full-color photographs about bugs.
August 3, 2021
Unfortunately, this is not a book about oak trees, it's a book about insects that are somehow related to oak trees. As an example, the author spends more words on walking sticks than he does on acorns. If you want to read a book on oak trees, this is not it.
May 27, 2022
I love these close-in looks at a particular topic and this book was great at delivering that. It should be noted that this is not a history (cultural or otherwise) of the oak tree, but a small peek at how it fits into the ecosystem as a keystone species and its relationship to various critters throughout a year. It is not exhaustive in its explanation of these relationships (how could it be?!) and, kind of a downside for me, the book is America-centric. That said, I learned so much from this book, not just about oak trees but also about many other creatures — insects in particular as I believe that is Tellamy’s focus? — that feast from, nest in, breed on and otherwise use oak trees. I also always appreciate when books have “interactive” sections in them as with Tallamy’s section about how to grow your own oak tree.
November 11, 2021
A wonderful book about Oak trees and an in depth look at the ecology that surrounds them. I really enjoyed reading about all the ways the Oak tree houses so many different insects, animals and birds. The book was a fast read for me because it definitely held my attention. I have always been fascinated with nature and this book was just what I needed. I highly recommend it for all nature lovers like me!
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