New year, new life: red oak seedling

As we enter a new calendar year, I struggled to find an image in nature to represent new life. January in Southeast Missouri is a time when nature is in survival mode. New birth is more a thing for springtime.

The acorn seedling I show here is from the seed of a red oak tree. I took this photo April 2, 2011.

In this fragile state as it puts down a tiny tap root, the seedling remains vulnerable to passing wildlife such as a deer, turkey or squirrel that may eat it.

The red oak tree can grow to a height of 100 feet. It is native to the eastern half of the United States and part of Canada. This tree will grow into a wonderful shade tree for your yard, but it needs to be placed wisely, at least 60 feet from your house.

When planted in full sun, a red oak can grow two feet or more each year.

The red oak seedling is easy to transplant when it is small. Try planting it in January with part of the acorn barely showing above the dirt in a flower pot. Keep the pot outdoors in a place safe from squirrels that may dig up the acorn and eat it.

Keep the soil moist but not too wet. By late March or the first part of April, the acorn should have sprouted, and you will have a seedling to transplant.

The lobes of the red oak's leaves are pointed, unlike the lobes of the white oak's leaves, which are rounded.

I would like to wish all my readers a Happy New Year filled with renewed appreciation for the wonders of nature.

Through the Woods is a weekly nature photo column by Aaron Horrell. Find this column at semissourian.com to order a reprint of the photo. Find more work by him at the Painted Wren Gallery.