Scarlet Oak

Quercus coccinea

Scarlet oak has one of the finest fall color displays of any oak in eastern North America. deeply lobed leaves turning vivid crimson-scarlet that often holds for three to four weeks in October and November. The color is reliable year to year, not contingent on weather, and the tree glows when backlit in the afternoon. Plant it on the west or northwest side of a property where the fall light will hit it directly. A steady acorn crop feeds blue jays, woodpeckers, and small mammals every fall. Dense branching provides nesting structure for songbirds. Like all oaks, scarlet oak is a keystone species supporting hundreds of caterpillar species and the birds that depend on them. A canopy-scale investment that delivers ecological dividends for generations.