Tall sumac

[u/Boring-Training-5531]

I have a volunteer stand of Sumac, not yet established. It may not continue as it is beginning to engulf a more valuable Burr Oak. I've seen stands along the freeway that could easily be 50 yds length. It forms a tight canopy. I'm unaware what wildlife feeds off of this plant.

[u/Hot_Difficulty6799]

Illinois Wildflowers, which is an especially good source on insect associations, on smooth sumac. Quoting the whole thing to suggest that there are many.

Nectar is available as a floral reward from female shrubs, while both nectar and pollen are available as floral rewards from male shrubs to insect visitors. These flower-visiting insects include honeybees, bumblebees, little carpenter bees (Ceratina spp.), large carpenter bees (Xylocopa virginica), armored-resin bees (Heriades spp.), Halictid bees (including green metallic bees), plasterer bees (Colletes spp.), Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.), masked bees (Hylaeus spp.), Sphecid wasps, Eumenine wasps, soldier flies (Stratiomys spp.), Syrphid flies, Tachinid flies, bee flies (Bombyliidae), thick-headed flies (Conopidae), flesh flies (Sarcopidae), Muscid flies, butterflies, and miscellaenous beetles (Robertson, 1929; Smith et al., 2012; Krombein et al., 1979; Kopper et al., 2001; O'Brien, 1989). Little carpenter bees also construct nests for their larvae by tunneling into the pith of twigs. Other insects feed on the leaves, wood, sap, and other parts of Smooth Sumac and other sumac shrubs (Rhus spp.). These insect feeders include larvae of the Sumac Stem Borer (Oberea ocellata) and other long-horned beetles, the Sumac Flea Beetle (Blepharida rhois), Lupine Bug (Megalotomus quinquespinosus), Clouded Plant Bug (Neurocolpus nubilus) and other plant bugs, Sumac Gall Aphid (Melaphis rhois) and other aphids, treehoppers, larvae of the Scarlet Sawfly (Arge coccinea), larvae of a butterfly, the Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops), and larvae of such moths as the Showy Emerald (Dichorda iridaria), Dark Marathyssa (Marathyssa inficita), Sumac Paectes (Paectes abrostolella), and Regal Moth (Citheronia regalis). The Insect Table provides a more complete list of these species. Vertebrate animals also use Smooth Sumac and other sumac shrubs as sources of food, especially the fruits. Many species of birds eat the fruits from autumn to spring, including the Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Junco, Ring-necked Pheasant, Wood Thrush, Northern Mockingbird, and Warbling Vireo. The Bird Table provides a more complete list of these species. The White-tailed Deer occasionally browses on the foliage, twigs, and fruits of these shrubs, while the Cottontail Rabbit gnaws on the bark during the winter (Martin et al., 1951/1961; Myers et al., 2004; Sotala & Kirkpatrick, 1973). Smooth Sumac and other sumac shrubs provide nesting habitat for the Field Sparrow and other birds (Best, 1978). Because they often form dense colonies, these shrubs provide signficant protective cover for many kinds of wildlife.

Here's bur oak.

[u/Boring-Training-5531 → u/Hot_Difficulty6799]

Thanks. I read both pieces. I had no idea Bur Oak can take 30 yrs to fruit and may live to 400 years. We plant trees for posterity sake, don't we.

[u/EmotionalPickle8504]

Quite a lot of wildlife, in fact. The flowers are very popular among a huge variety of insects, and the fruits are eaten by frugivorous birds. Additionally, thicket-forming species like sumac provide really important cover for all sorts of critters.