This series is dedicated to educating our geofriends about some of the interesting trees and vines that can be seen along this newest section of the Spring Creek Greenway (SCG) trail. When complete, the Spring Creek Greenway will encompass 12,000 acres and almost 40 linear miles, from Highway 59 at the San Jacinto River to Spring Creek Park west of Tomball. While Phase III of the trail is not officially open yet, the construction is complete, and it’s time to get these posted! This section of trail begins at Pundt Park and extends over 2.5 miles to Dennis Johnston Park on Riley Fuzzel Road; and this now brings the completed SCG trail length to almost 12 miles, from Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center in Humble all the way to Dennis Johnston Park! Please note that SCG trail hours are dawn to dusk, and replace all containers as you found them.
Water Oak (Quercus nigra), as its scientific name (nigra) implies, is a member of the black/red oak group of oaks. Black/red oak species all have at least some sort of small spines (points) that come off the tips of some of the leaves. While most black oak species have pointed lobes on their leaves (like the Red Oak), this species normally has rounded leaves. However, if you look at several of them, you will find at least a few with small spines. In contrast, oak species in the white oak group have rounded leaves with no spines. A good way to remember this is that the white man used weapons that were round (bullets), while the red man used weapons that were pointed (arrows). Of course, all oak species make the characteristic acorns, the fruiting structure for the tree, and an excellent source of nourishment for all sorts of wildlife. One other point to think about: Water Oaks grow MUCH faster than a Live Oak, and provide shade and add VALUE to a new house quicker.