Habitat: Alluvial swamp forests, upland depression swamps, poorly drained flatwoods, and old fields, usually in imperfectly drained clay soils. Common in the northern piedmont; infrequent elsewhere in the piedmont and mountains, rare in the coastal Plain.
Wildlife value: Oak trees support a wide variety of Lepidopteran (butterflies and moths) and a wide range of insects which in turn feed the birds. The acorns, produced every 3 to 5 years, are eaten by woodpeckers, blue jays, small mammals, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and black bears and can be eaten by people after tannins are leached or boiled out. Plant NOVA Natives lists this species as particularly popular with the non-native honeybees
Notes: Difficult to transplant and establish. It may also require pruning of lower branches where height clearance is needed.