Mosaic Oak Tree Plaques

Each mosaic tree plaque is a striking portrait of an oak tree, bringing alive the story of its unique leaves, acorns, bark, and the animals that share its life. UC Davis entomology students and community members worked with the Art-Science Fusion Program in fall 2009 to hand-craft these beautiful ceramic plaques for 35 oak trees along the paths.

Scroll through the gallery below OR view the complete gallery.

Oak Tree Plaque Gallery

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus mexicana | COMMON NAME: cozahuatl | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: The gold-spotted borer is a metallic beetle whose larvae feed on sapwood and can kill trees. The Monarch butterfly does not have a direct association with the oak other than an overlap in geographic range. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Cassandra (Cassie) Tinetti | TREE HEIGHT: 13 meters | NATIVE RANGE: central and eastern Mexico from Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas to Chiapas | YEAR RECEIVED: 1968 | ACORN SOURCE: Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Collected 35.1 miles from La Escondid. Collected in the fall of 1966 by Lance McIntyre, Dick Hildreth and Roman Gankin.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus margaretta | COMMON NAME: sand post oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: A gall wasp restricted to this oak induces “spotted oak apple” galls inside which larvae grow. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Jeffrey Lagman | TREE HEIGHT: 15 meters | NATIVE RANGE: Southeastern United States from Virginia to Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. | YEAR RECEIVED: 1964 | ACORN SOURCE: Palmetto State Park Road 11, Gonzales County, Texas: . 400 ft. Acorns collected by David Cavagnaro on field expedition for Dr. J. M. Tucker, Botany Department, UC Davis.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus gravesii | COMMON NAME: Chisos red oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: Kermes or Riley’s scale insects feed on tree sap from Chisos red oaks. Note that this oak species has striped acorns. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Effie-Ann Forson | TREE HEIGHT: 9 meters | NATIVE RANGE: mountain of western Texas and northern Mexico | YEAR RECEIVED: 1986 | ACORN SOURCE: Big Bend National Park, Texas. Acorns collected by Bllege, Alpine, Texas. Plants grown andarton Warnock of Sulross Co donated by Phil Barker of the Institute of Forest Genetics, Placerville, CA.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus brandegeei | COMMON NAME: Brandegee oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: The yellow wig gall wasp induces hairy, cotton-like galls on leaf undersides. Aminata mushrooms associate with the roots. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Matthew Roberts | TREE HEIGHT: 11 meters | NATIVE RANGE: arroyos and valleys in the Cape region of Baja California | YEAR RECEIVED: 1967 | ACORN SOURCE: Baja California Sur, Mexico. Collected from Agua Caliente, near San Bartolo.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus diversifolia | COMMON NAME: encino de Chalma | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: The white oak borer bores into the wood and can be a destructive pest. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Linh Nguyen | TREE HEIGHT: 6 meters | NATIVE RANGE: southwestern Mexico | YEAR RECEIVED: 1968 | ACORN SOURCE: Guanajuato, Mexico. Collected on Dolore Hidalgo Road. Identifiexd by J. M. Tucker and verified by C.H. Muller. Collected in the fall of 1966 by Lance McIntyre, Dick Hildreth and Roman Gankin.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus coccifera | COMMON NAME: kermes oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: An underwing butterfly larva feeds on leaves. (Note: This oak is known for the Kermes insect, a type of scale insect, which lives its lifespan on the branches and produces a red dye. The Kermes insect is not pictured on the plaque.) | PLAQUE ARTIST: Tina Vu | TREE HEIGHT: 3.4 meters | NATIVE RANGE: Mediterranean region from Portugal east to Turkey, also northwestern Africa | YEAR RECEIVED: 1964 | ACORN SOURCE: Barcelona, Spain.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus muehlenbergii | COMMON NAME: chinkapin oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: Orange-tipped oakworm moth larva eats chinkapin oak leaves and pupates underground for 9 months before emerging as a flying moth. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Betty Thayer | TREE HEIGHT: 13 meters | NATIVE RANGE: Central and eastern North America from northeastern Mexico to Texas, western Florida, and Ontario, Canada. | YEAR RECEIVED: 1963 | ACORN SOURCE: McKittrick Canyon, Guadalupe Mountains, Culberson County, Texas. 5150 ft. Acorns collected by David Cavagnaro on field expedition for Dr. J. M. Tucker, Botany Department, UC Davis.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus castaneifolia | COMMON NAME: Persian oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: Oak leaf aphids suck sap from the undersides of the leaves and young twigs of the Persian oak. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Barbara Thayer | TREE HEIGHT: 29 meters | NATIVE RANGE: Caucasian Mountains and Northern Iran | YEAR RECEIVED: 1964 | ACORN SOURCE: Royal Botanic, Kew, UK

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus prinoides | COMMMON NAME: dwarf chinkapin oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: Orange-striped oakworm moth larva can eat whole leaves leaving only a few veins behind. They may defoliate a tree | PLAQUE ARTIST: Dina Schneider | TREE HEIGHT: 10 meters | NATIVE RANGE: Eastern and central United States from southern Vermont to northwestern Georgia and eastern Kansas. | YEAR RECEIVED: 1966 | ACORN SOURCE: University of Toronto Laboratory & Garden, Ontario, Canada. Collected at Glendon Hall.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus macrocar | COMMON NAME: bur oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: The tiny oak lace bug (only 3 mm long) uses it’s piercing mouthpart to feed on the mesophyll of oak leaves. Eastern gray squirrels eat bur oak acorns. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Kim Nguyen | TREE HEIGHT: 12 meters | NATIVE RANGE: central and eastern North America: from Maine west to Saskatchewan and south to Texas. | YEAR RECEIVED: 1964 | ACORN SOURCE: No collection information.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus buckleyi | COMMON NAME: Texas red oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: The read oak borer, a longhorn beetle, drills into tree trunks. Golden-cheeked warblers eat insects from the leaves. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Mario Sepulveda | TREE HEIGHT: 9 meters | NATIVE RANGE: central Texas and Oklahoma | YEAR RECEIVED: 1999 | ACORN SOURCE: Mountain States Wholesale Nursery, Phoenix, Arizona.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus vaseyana | COMMON NAME: Vasey shin oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: No information. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Joy Elson and Barbara Engel | TREE HEIGHT: 11 meters | NATIVE RANGE: Central western Texas to northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon). | YEAR RECEIVED: 1963 | ACORN SOURCE: 12.3 Miles South of Juno, Val Verde County, Texas. 1500 ft. Acorns collected by David Cavagnaro on field expedition for Dr. J. M. Tucker, Botany Department, UC Davis.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus engelmannii | COMMON NAME: mesa oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: A tortricid moth larva feeds on the nutritious meat of mesa oak acorns. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Emily Sutter | TREE HEIGHT: 10 meters | NATIVE RANGE: California (Los Angeles Co. to San Diego Co.) and northwestern Baja California | YEAR RECEIVED: 1965 | ACORN SOURCE: Otay Mountain, Cedar Canyon, San Diego County, California. Dry stream side. 500 ft.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus cerris | COMMON NAME: Turkish oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: The Oak Marble Gall Wasp will lay eggs in the developing buds, stems, leaves, or even acorns of the Turkey oak. The tree responds to larval chewing by creating a round gall up to 1 inch in diameter. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Nalien Vongtharangsy | TREE HEIGHT: 14 meters | NATIVE RANGE: central and southern Europe and Asia Minor | YEAR RECEIVED: 1964 | ACORN SOURCE: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus agrifolia var. oxyadenia | COMMON NAME: southern coast live oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: The oak lace bug is less than 5mm in length, lays eggs on the undersides of the leaves, and feeds on the oak during both its adult and nymph stage. Acorn woodpeckers harvest acorns and store them in holes drilled in the wood of granary trees. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Mengjing (Irene) Yu | TREE HEIGHT: 16 meters | NATIVE RANGE: California Peninsular Ranges and northern Baja California | YEAR RECEIVED: 1965 | ACORN SOURCE: Potrero Grade, San Diego County, CA. Ca. 5 mi. west of Potrero on a NW facing slope. 2000 ft.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus coccifera ssp. calliprinos | COMMON NAME: Palestine oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: Gypsy moth caterpillars eat the leaves of Palestine oaks as well as those of European and American trees. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Jennifer Meester | TREE HEIGHT: 11 meters | NATIVE RANGE: eastern Mediterranean region and southwestern Asia | YEAR RECEIVED: 1964 | ACORN SOURCE: Zarnuqa, Palestine

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus ilex | COMMON NAME: holly oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: Pigs traditionally fed on fallen acorns in Spanish woodlands. The chestnut weevil drills eggs into the acorns, which hatch and develop inside. The larvae feed inside the acorn, often destroying the acorn’s ability to grow. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Jenny Wu | TREE HEIGHT: 11 meters | NATIVE RANGE: north Africa and southern Spain | YEAR RECEIVED: 1964 | ACORN SOURCE: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus tomentella | COMMON NAME: island oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: Island scrub jays and squirrels both eat acorns. The larvae of the California sister butterfly feed on island oak leaves. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Eric Tarny | TREE HEIGHT: 14 meters | NATIVE RANGE: California Channel Islands and Guadalupe Island | YEAR RECEIVED: 1968 | ACORN SOURCE: Santa Cruz Island, California. Collected at bottom of gorge of tributary leading to the southernmost drainage to China Harbor. Collected by Roman Gankin and Craig Davis.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus agrifolia | COMMON NAME: coast live oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: California oak moth larva may skeletonize leaves and can even defoliate an entire tree. Look for egg, larva, pupa, and adult moth on this plaque. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Maria Contador | TREE HEIGHT: 15 meters | NATIVE RANGE: California: Outer North Coast Ranges, Central Western California, Southwestern California, Baja California | YEAR RECEIVED: 1964 | ACORN SOURCE: University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley, California. Seedlings from trees native to Strawberry Canyon.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus alba | COMMON NAME: white oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: An adult two-lined chestnut borer beetle is shown on this plaque. The beetle larva lives in bark of already weakened trees. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Jacqueline Schock | TREE HEIGHT: 16 meters | NATIVE RANGE: Eastern North America from eastern Texas to eastern Minnesota, Georgia, and southern Quebec. | YEAR RECEIVED: 1964 | ACORN SOURCE: West Flamborough Township, Wentworth County, Ontario, Canada. Acorns received through seed exchange with Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton, Ontario.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus fusiformis | COMMON NAME: Texas live oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: Texas buckmoth, related to silk moths, lays rings of eggs around the twigs of the Texas live oak. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Allan Tu | TREE HEIGHT: 8 meters | NATIVE RANGE: central Texas and Okhlahoma | YEAR RECEIVED: 1999 | ACORN SOURCE: Mountain States Wholesale Nursery, Phoenix, Arizona.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus oleoides | COMMON NAME: encino tesmol | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: The insect shown is a bee - Centris nitida. Studies done in Costa Rica have revealed that the habitat preferences of this bee are dry deciduous oak forests dominant in encino tesmol. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Kathrine Dang | TREE HEIGHT: 7 meters | NATIVE RANGE: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica | YEAR RECEIVED: 1968 | ACORN SOURCE: Masaguara, Honduras. Collected on the west edge of the town. Collected in the fall of 1966 by Lance McIntyre, Dick Hildreth and Roman Gankin.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus rugose | COMMON NAME: netleaf oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: No information. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Laurie Lewis | TREE HEIGHT: 8 meters | NATIVE RANGE: southwestern United States (western Texas to Arizona) and central Mexico (south to Puebla) | YEAR RECEIVED: 1968 | ACORN SOURCE: Oaxaca, Mexico: Collected 20 miles from Oaxaca on the road to Boone Halberg's finca near Ixtlan. Collected in the fall of 1966 by Lance McIntyre, Dick Hildreth and Roman Gankin.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus crassifolia | COMMON NAME: encino chicharron | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: Red-spotted purple butterflies mimic the poisonous pipevine swallowtail butterfly. They lay eggs on the leaves of this oak, where their larva will feed as they mature. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Jennifer Phung | TREE HEIGHT: Unknown | NATIVE RANGE: central and southern Mexico (from Jalisco to San Luis Potosi, Veracruz, Chiapas) and Guatemala | YEAR RECEIVED: 1968 | ACORN SOURCE: Guatemala. Collected at 80 km marker on RN-I between Petzcia and Lago Atitlianon. Collected in the fall of 1966 by Lance McIntyre and Dick Hildreth.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Quercus grisea | COMMON NAME: gray oak | PLAQUE DESCRIPTION: Male gypsy moths are brown; females are white with brown stripes. Gypsy moths were introduced to North America from Eurasia, and they now feed on several of our oaks. The student who created this plaque did not identify the woodpecker. | PLAQUE ARTIST: Zesina Chang | TREE HEIGHT: 8 meters | NATIVE RANGE: western Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Mexico south to Jalisco | YEAR RECEIVED: 1963 | ACORN SOURCE: 27.3 Miles Sw. of Silver City, New Mexico. 6000 ft. Acorns collected by David Cavagnaro on field expedition for Dr. J. M. Tucker, Botany Department, UC Davis.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, all mosaic oak tree plaques have been dedicated!

Location

The Peter J. Shields Oak Grove is located in the west end of the Arboretum, near the Gazebo, the Arboretum Teaching Nursery, and Nature’s Gallery Court. Get directions to the Shields Oak Grove. The mosaic tree plaques are located along the Oak Discovery Trail and Oak Diversity Trail, two branches of a walking path that winds through scenic areas of the grove. Each plaque is associated with a specific oak tree along the trail.

Background

The Arboretum and Public Garden has previously offered mosaic oak tree plaques in the Peter J. Shields Oak Grove for dedication. Since the plaques were installed in the Oak Grove in 2009, we’ve seen how children’s imaginations are sparked by the whimsical portrayals of jays, deer, and insects. The colorful plaques have already become a treasured feature of the stately grove and the Arboretum and Public Garden’s educational programs.