20 September 2025
There are such a lot of oaks in Schenley Park that a couple of burr oaks (Quercus macrocarpa) are usually not noticeable till they drop their giant, fringed acorns. The place did they arrive from? I seemed as much as discover the tree, taller and broader than its neighbors.
The burr oak’s location doesn’t have a great view so I sat beneath a big oak on the prime of Flagstaff Hill overlooking Oakland. Based mostly on acorns, leaves, and the historical past of landscaping in Schenley Park, my guess is that I sat beneath an English oak (Quercus robur).
It’s a excessive mast yr for this explicit tree. The one method I prevented being hit by acorns was to take a seat with my again in opposition to the trunk!
Different sightings this week embody birds Tuesday morning at Fowl Lab’s Hays Woods banding which I wrote about on Wednesday’s weblog: Hays Woods Birds Reside as much as Expectations.
I don’t typically stroll by means of the Heinz Chapel Memorial Backyard however the fountain is engaging in the course of the drought. On the way in which to the fountain I discovered an engraved paver stone with a non-traditional dedication.
If you wish to discover this stone, enter the Heinz Memorial Chapel Backyard from the Bellefield Avenue facet (close to the steps to Bellefield Ave) and take a look at the pavers alongside the left. (This picture doesn’t embody a view of the Will You Marry Me paver.)
