(Oak) Savanna Sidekicks
- jessicaaeuler
- May 20
- 5 min read
Plants that thrive in this environment tend to prefer 6-8 hrs sunlight per day, and well drained soil. Often a meadow-type environment, but can develop into combination shrubland/forest.
Oak trees are so phenomenal - since childhood Jess has always loved them, and Emily feels like their gnarly branches and thick trunks inspire notions of ancient magic and wisdom. Both of us have only fallen more in love with them as we have learned more on this journey. Their distinct leaf shape and adorable acorns are such a joy to us both. Growing up in Oregon, Jess observed how individual trees grow their branches wide, drawing your eye right up into the canopy - while in a group they bend and twist around each other in fascinating ways - for Emily they are like dancers caught in time, seeking some sunlight exposure. Jess has always been drawn to the old farmhouses surrounded by a perfect, but abrupt, patchwork square grove of old oaks, rising up from flat farmland, seemingly out of nowhere - and curious about where those oaks came from and why so many farms look like that in the Willamette Valley.
As we have been learning more about native plants and the ecosystems in Oregon, we started hearing a lot about these Oak Savannas, and some pieces of the puzzle started to come together. The intent was to talk a lot about the Oak Savannas here - what they are, how they function, who they benefit, and why we don't have many anymore - but in doing some research for this topic, we found that Hayden at Big Oak Flower Farm has written an excellent blog post on the topic, so we aren't going to duplicate that work. Check out that Hayden's post here: https://www.bigoakflowerfarm.com/blog/where-to-find-wildflowers-in-champoeg-oregon
Most of the following information has been pulled from the document "Conserving Oregon White Oak in Urban and Suburban Landscapes" which is an extremely detailed and thorough document you can use to guide you through Oakscaping your property.
We do want to review which plants thrive in this environment, and why you might want to "Oakscape" in your space. Many plants can be found in an Oak Savanna (depending on the age of the Oaks and other factors) - but the iconic Oregon White Oak is the main character. Not only does the oak dominate this ecosystem in size, but it also leads the way as a Keystone species. If you haven't checked out our post about Keystone Species - read it here - the resources we have found state that the Oregon White Oak can support up to 436 beneficial insect species - 436!! That's almost 100 more species than the next runner up on the list (Oregon Bitter Cherry or Western Chokecherry at ~340). So when it comes to bang for your buck in terms of supporting the ecosystem, it doesn't get much better than the Oregon White Oak.
This ecosystem tends to be relatively open grassland - though there are varied versions of the Oak Savanna - most tend to have 6-8 hrs sunlight per day, well drained soil and can tolerate hot and dry conditions. One challenge the Oak Savanna faces is the slow growth rate of the Oregon White Oak - this allows fast growing species to take over and impede the growth of the oaks, sometimes taking over and pushing them out.
There are a few different places in the Willamette Valley where you can see Oak Savanna with varying levels of age and human maintenance/intervention. Here's a list of a few we have found in Oregon (this list is not exhaustive) - let us know if you know of others!
Sites we have visited: | |
Newberg | |
Wilsonville | |
West of Salem | |
Salem | |
Sites we have not yet visited: | |
West Linn | |
Corvallis | |
Eugene | |
Medford |
Here are some lists of the common types of Oak ecosystems and plants found there - you'll notice quite a bit of overlap as the system ages and changes:
Young Oak Savanna |
Initially a young oak planted in a prairie; over time, a broad (open grown) savannah oak with prairie + low shrub patches beneath. |
Trees |
Quercus garryana (Oregon White Oak) |
Wildflower Edge |
Achillea millefolium (Western Yarrow) |
Fragaria virginiana ssp. platypetala (Field Strawberry) |
Eriophyllum lanatum (Oregon Sunshine) |
Wildflower Patches |
Aquilegia formosa (Western Columbine) |
Asclepias speciosa or A. fasicularis (Milkweeds) |
Camassia leitchlinii (Great Camas Lily) |
Grindelia integrifolia (Gum Weed) |
Potentilla gracilis (Slender Cinquefoil) |
Ranunculus occidentalis (Western Buttercup) |
Sidalcea virgata (Rose Checkermallow) |
Symphyotrichum hallii (Hall’s Aster) |
Annual Grass & Wildflower Matrix |
Deschampsia danthonioides + Deschampsia elongata (Hairgrass) |
Clarkia amoena (Farewell to Spring) |
Collomia grandifora (Large-leaf Collomia) |
Gilia capitata (Blue Field Gilia) |
Perennial Grass/Rush/Sedge Matrix |
Carex tumulicola (Foothill Sedge) |
Festuca roemeri (Roemer’s Fescue) |
Juncus tenuis or J. Patens (Rushes) |
Old Oak Savannah |
Openings of prairie grasses, wildflowers, and low shrubs under a broad canopy oak. |
Tree |
Quercus garryana (Oregon White Oak) |
Arborescent - Tall Shrubs + Vines |
Lonicera hispidula (Hairy Honeysuckle Vine) |
Mahonia aquifolium (Tall Oregon Grape) |
Symphoricarpos albus (Common Snowberry) |
Philadelphus lewisii (Mock orange) |
Ribes sanguineum (Red Currant) |
Rosa gymnocarpa (Baldhip Rose) |
Rubus parviforus (Thimbleberry) |
Low Shrubs |
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnickinick) |
ahonia nervosa (Leatherleaf Oregon Grape) |
Mahonia repens (Cascade Oregon Grape) |
Polystichum munitum (Swordfern) |
Spiraea lucida (Shiny Leaf Spirea) |
Symphoricarpos hesperius or S. mollis (Creeping Snowberry) |
Wildflower Patches |
Sun Mix |
Aquilegia formosa (Western Columbine) |
Asclepias speciosa or A. fasicularis (Milkweeds) |
Camassia leitchlinii (Great Camas Lily) |
Grindelia integrifolia (Gum Weed) |
Potentilla gracilis (Slender Cinquefoil) |
Ranunculus occidentalis (Western Buttercup) |
Sidalcea virgata (Rose Checerkmallow) |
Symphyotrichum hallii (Hall’s Aster) |
Shade Mix |
Camassia leitchlinii (Great Camas Lily) |
Ranunculus occidentalis (Western Buttercup) |
Tellima grandifora (Fringe Cup) |
Annual Grass & Wildflower Matrix |
Deschampsia danthonioides + Deschampsia elongata (Hairgrasses) |
Clarkia amoena (Farewell to Spring) |
Collomia grandifora (Large-leaf Collomia) |
Gilia capitata (Blue Field Gilia) |
Perennial Grass/Rush/Sedge Matrix |
Carex tumulicola (Foothill Sedge) |
Festuca roemeri (Roemer’s Fescue) |
Juncus tenuis or J. patens (Rushes) |
Oak Shrubland |
Dense thickets of shrubs with small openings of wildflowers beneath a partially open oak canopy. |
Tree |
Quercus garryana (Oregon White Oak) |
Arborescent - Tall Shrubs + Vines |
Amelanchier alnifolia (Western Serviceberry) |
Ceanothus cuneatus or (Wild Lilcac) |
Holodiscus discolor (Oceanspray) |
Oemleria cerasiformis (Indian Plum) |
Prunus virginiana (Chokecherry) |
Ribes sanguineum (Red Currant) |
Sambucus cerulea (Blue Elderberry) |
Mahonia aquifolium (Tall Oregon Grape) |
Symphoricarpos albus (Common Snowberry) |
Rosa gymnocarpa (Baldhip Rose) |
Rubus parviforus (Thimbleberry) |
Rubus ursinus (Pacific Blackberry) |
Low Shrubs |
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnickinick) |
Mahonia repens (Cascade Oregon Grape) |
Polystichum munitum (Sword Fern) |
Spiraea lucida (Shiny Leaf Spirea) |
Symphoricarpos hesperius or S.mollis (Creeping Snowberry) |
Wildflower Patch |
Achillea millefolium (Western Yarrow) |
Chameron angustifolia (Fireweed) |
Lupinus rivularis or native Lupines |
Pteridium aquilinum (Bracken Fern) |
Solidago canadensis (Goldenrod) |
Symphyotrichum douglasii (Douglas Aster) |
Annual Grass & Wildflower Matrix |
Deschampsia danthonioides + Deschampsia elongata (Hairgrass) |
Clarkia amoena (Farewell to Spring) |
Collomia grandifora (Large-leaf Collomia) |
Perennial Grass/Rush/Sedge Matrix |
Carex tumulicola (Foothill Sedge) |
Festuca roemeri (Roemer’s Fescue) |
Juncus tenuis or J. Patens (Rushes) |
Oak Woodland |
A closed canopy woodland of mixed age trees with an understory of tall (arborescent) and low growing shrubs. |
Trees |
Quercus garryana (Oregon White Oak) |
Arbutus menziesii (Pacific Madrone) |
Rhamnus purshiana (Cascara) |
Arborescent - Tall Shrubs + Vines |
Amelanchier alnifolia (Western Serviceberry) |
Ceanothus cuneatus or (Wild Lilac) |
Holodiscus discolor (Oceanspray) |
Oemleria cerasiformis (Indian Plum) |
Prunus virginiana (Chokecherry) |
Sambucus cerulea (Blue Elderberry) |
Ribes sanguineum (Red Currant) |
Lonicera hispidula (Hairy Honeysuckle vine) |
Mahonia aquifolium (Tall Oregon Grape) |
Symphoricarpos albus (Common Snowberry) |
Philadelphus lewisii (Mockorange) |
Rosa gymnocarpa (Baldhip Rose) |
Rubus parviforus (Thimbleberry) |
Rubus ursinus (Pacific Blackberry) |
Low Shrubs |
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnickinick) |
Mahonia repens (Cascade Oregon Grape) |
Mahonia nervosa (Letherleaf Oregon Grape) |
Spiraea lucida (Shiny Leaf Spirea) |
Symphoricarpos hesperius or S.mollis (Creeping Snowberry) |
Annual Grass & Wildflower Matrix |
Deschampsia danthonioides + Deschampsia elongata (Hairgrasses) |
Clarkia amoena (Farewell to Spring) |
Collomia grandifora (Large-leaf Collomia) |
Gilia capitata (Blue Field Gilia) |
Perennial Grass/Rush/Sedge Matrix |
Carex tumulicola (Foothill Sedge) |
Festuca roemeri (Roemer’s Fescue) |
Juncus tenuis or J. Patens (Rushes) |
Let us know if you have oaks on your property, or are going to try to Oakscaping - we would love to hear from you!
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