Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

1 rating

Sunday - May 05, 2013

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders, Trees
Title: Holes in trunk of Monterey Oak in Austin, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

My Monterrey Oak (about 4 in diameter) has a problem. It started budding out and had a few leafs, then just quit. It had what I thought was new buds that would develop, but didn't. Then, the existing leafs died. There are two siblings in my neighbor's yard that were started from at the same time as mine - about 3 years ago, as small home grown trees - and they seem to be OK. My tree has what looks like some kind of bore holes that are fairly evenly spaced in a horizontal line extending at least 1/2 way around the circumference. These are at 3-4 different heights on the trunk. My neighbor's trees have similar holes, but their trees apparently haven't been affected. There are several fresh growths about 5 inches high coming up around the base of my tree. Those look perfectly healthy. Is there anything I can do to help my tree recover, or is it too late?

ANSWER:

Lets address the evenly spaced holes around the trunk of your oak tree first. These are the signature sign of the yellow-bellied sap sucker, a member of the woodpecker family. This may sound like a made-up name, but there are 2 species that are native to Texas.
Here are some links to help you become better acquainted with this pretty pest.
dirtdoctor.com

allaboutbirds.org

USDA

The holes can provide entry point for fungi or insects that can cause significant injury to the the tree. The fresh growth around the tree’s base are termed water sprouts or suckers which are sometimes caused by stress to the tree.