More live oak happenin's

The butterflies are back on the live oaks, sippin' and hangin' out. This phenomenon seems to happen after rains.


Take a look below at the photos of a HUGE live oak in the back yard. I got worried again and emailed the pics to our local biologist with the Texas Forestry Service: "I'm sending these photos today so you can look at them when you have time next week. I just noticed THESE awful looking black areas on a different OLD OLD OLD live oak in our back yard. The butterflies are "puddling" at a spot at the base. You already told them that was normal and okay. But these areas have me worried."

Robert Edmonson wrote back yesterday: "It is not a problem. A bacteria is living in the tree and produces that “ooze” just going through its life processes. It is NOT fatal to the tree, it’s really NOT even harmful to the tree and there is NO treatment, plus it’s a food source for butterflies and other insects. Try to ignore the “ooze” and enjoy the butterflies. I understand it is unsightly, it makes a mess and it does smell but it’s not hurting the tree. If I haven’t convinced you, you can hire an arborist to come out and take a look. You can find certified arborists at www.treesaregood.org. I’m just trying to save you some money as an arborist will tell you the same thing as I have."

So again, I feel better about our beautiful live oaks. I just couldn't bear it if we ever lost them.

The live oak gurgles

As we were roaming around the front yard this evening, we happened to spot several butterflies congregated on a live oak. Cool! But as we looked closer, we realized they were actually sipping from the tree. It'd been oozing. Then....I heard something.....like gurgling! I looked even closer and saw bubbles coming from the dark brown crack in the bark. Not good. Not good at all! So I'm going to contact biologist Robert Edmondson with the Texas Forest Service in Johnson City and ask if we should be concerned.

As for the butterflies, I believe they were variegated fritillaries. But I'm not sure.




UPDATE E-mail received 5/21/2010 8:30 A.M.

Sheryl, what you are observing is nothing to be concerned about. That is a condition known as phloem necrosis or “slime flux.” It’s caused by a bacteria in the tree. As the bacteria goes through its life processes, it produces that “slime.” It’s merely a by-product of a fermentation process. It’s not harmful to the tree; there is no known treatment and it provides food for insects, especially butterflies. Elms and oaks are the most common tree species where this occurs. Again, don’t worry about it. It is not harming the tree.

Robert Edmonson
Biologist II
Texas Forest Service

Sounds like rain...

Stand outside awhile, and you'll hear the thunk thunk of acorns hitting the ground. They're obviously immature and not suppose to be falling this early. I'm guessing it's our lack of substantial rainfall this year, and the live oaks (Quercus virginiana) are stressed. According to the Smithsonian Marine Station, "acorns are produced in abundance in September. Acorns generally fall to the ground during December and are dispersed by animals."

I'll check with some Texas experts and get back on this....

Friday, September 26, 2008–UPDATE– Reply from Pete Smith, Partnership Coordinator Texas Forest Service-Urban Forestry Program: "I think the acorns are fine, and this is just the time of year that they ripen and begin to fall. They might be smaller because of the drought (and likely more bitter to squirrels!), but the ones in your blog looked like they were even trying to sprout from their tips, meaning they are viable and healthy. I've heard that some places in Texas are experiencing a 'bumper crop' this year, which happens about every three or four years, depending on weather patterns."