Log in

Editor's Picks

q._grahamii_beatrice.jpg
Who was Quercus grahamii named in honor of?
Roderick Cameron | Dec 17, 2024
Quercus rubra in autumn
The Tree of the Year Association in Germany selected a non-...
Website Editor | Dec 16, 2024
Image from Enarrationes
A 16th century commentary on the medicinal property of oaks...
Website Editor | Dec 16, 2024

Plant Focus

Quercus magnosquamata acorn
A  little-known species from the northern Zagros forests of Iran

Oak Savanna Medicine: A Quest by Bike in Iowa, USA

PDF icon Log in or register to access the full text.

Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller

Published May 2021 in International Oaks No. 32: 145–154

Introduction

It is Saturday morning in early November in northeast Iowa. Most of the autumn leaves have fallen to the ground, there is a cold nip in the air, but the sky is clear and sunny. There has been some flooding, so riding mountain bikes on singletrack is out of the question. My husband, Joe, and I decide to load up our fat-tire bikes, drive a half-hour west, and ride on dirt and gravel rail trail near the small town of Eldora. As we ride, we happen upon one of the most enormous oak trees we have ever seen. We have to stop.

References

Chassé, B. 2016. Eating Acorns: What Story do the Distant, Far, and Near Past Tell Us and Why. International Oaks 27: 107-136.

Kuo, M. 2015. How might contact with nture promote human health? Promising mechanism and a possible central pathway. Front. Pyschol. 6: 1093.

Leatherberry, E.C., W.K. Moser, C. Perry, C. Woodall, E. Jepsen, S. Pennington, and A. Flickinger. 2006. Iowa’s Forests, 1992-2003 Part A. Resource Bulletin NC-266A. USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, and Northern Research Station, St. Paul, MN.

Mayer, M. 2019. Eating Acorns. OAKMEAL.

Nuzzo, V.A. 1986. Extent and status of Midwest oak savanna: presettlement and 1985. Natural Areas Journal (1986): 6-36.