Old Oak

Life in Christian County, Kentucky... More About Trees and Plants...

This old oak is surely in its third century or more.

An old oak stands alone on a calcareous ridge east of Hopkinsville, near the intersection of Highways 68/80 and 1716. (Actually, most ridges in Christian County are calcareous; that is, mostly limestone with a layer of soil over the surface.)

Every winter when the old tree has dropped its leaves, I see how its top is slowly dying and wonder if it will summon the energy to come back out of dormancy in the spring. Again this year, I am happy to observe that the aging monarch has survived the winter and is putting forth leaves.

When Highway 68/80 was widened into a 4-lane several years ago, I feared for this tree because it grows in the right-of-way of the old highway. It was spared because in this area they made a completely new highway a few hundred yards to the north instead of widening the old highway.

I have never gone close enough to this tree to positively identify it. I am 100% confident that it is an oak, but I don't know what type for sure. I have always thought that is a white oak, but that's just a guess based on its branching pattern.

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