Red oak spotting slows down as fall colors fade
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
If you've been snapping photos of the deep red oak leaves on your street or trail, you're part of a wave of citizen scientists whose observations help track how this widespread native tree is faring across Canada.
People using the iNaturalist app logged 124 sightings of northern red oak trees across Canada in the past week. That's fewer than the 182 logged the week before, but still enough to make it one of the most-observed plants in the country right now. The drop likely tracks the natural rhythm of autumn, as peak leaf color passes and fewer people are out looking.
Key Findings
124 observations of Quercus rubra recorded in Canada over the past 7 days
Down 58 observations (32%) from 182 the previous week
Despite the decline, the species remains among the most-observed plants in Canada this week
chevron_right Technical Summary
Northern red oak sightings logged by Canadian iNaturalist users dropped to 124 this week from 182 the week before, still enough to rank among the country's most-observed plants as autumn leaf color draws attention to oaks.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: northern red oak (Quercus rubra) — 124 observations this week
Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) is a species in the family Fagaceae. iNaturalist users recorded 124 observations of it in Canada in the 7 days before today, among the most for any plant there. Tha...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Quercus rubra, the northern red oak or common red oak, is an oak tree in the red oak group. It is a native of North America, in the eastern and central United States and southeast and south-central Canada. It has been introduced to small areas in Western Europe, where it can frequently be seen cu...