February's Tree of the month is Yaupon Holly, Ilex vomitoria, a small evergreen holly with small brilliant red berries that benefit our native wildlife. Yaupon holly is in the same family as other native hollies, however, this species of holly has very small green leaves an does not grow as large as other species. Only getting to around 20 feet tall, this small tree is a nice choice for a small tree species in our landscapes that offers dark green leaves year round as it is an evergreen. The holly produces small white flowers and the female trees will produce many small red berries. These berries attract native wildlife. These hardy trees grow quickly; they can pruned to a nice tree shape or kept as shrubs making it a very good choice for homeowner's looking for a hardy evergreen that does not grow above 25 feet.

January's Tree of the Month is the iconic Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora; it's scientific name given for its magnificent, showy flower. The Southern Magnolia is a native evergreen tree species which can be found in the Southeastern united states, many can be seen in Northeast Florida. It is known for its grand white flower that blooms in late spring through summer months. This marvelous flower is very showy and fragrant, used commonly at weddings or other events as centerpieces. The southern magnolia has dense, dark green foliage made up of thick, leathery leaves that can provide ample shade because of their large mature size and pyramidal shape. Given the space, these trees, which can be planted through the City's 630-CITY program, can be an excellent addition to anyone's yard.

November's Tree of the month is fittingly enough, Quercus laevis, or commonly known as the turkey oak. The turkey oak gets it name from the turkey footprint shaped leaves that cover this red oak species. They are now beginning to change colors and can been seen with those autumn oranges and reds. This scrubby oak species is found is very well drained, dry, sandy soils. This makes this species very drought and wind tolerant. Important for wildlife in scrub sand hills, it provides food and habitat. There are many located on the north side of Jacksonville where there are higher and drier ridges and bluffs. If you wish to see some turkey oaks in person, just take a visit to Ed Austin Regional Park.

October's Tree of the month is the red maple, Acer rubrum. We are featuring the red maple for October because of the change in color that Jacksonville's citizens will be able to witness now through November on these trees. The red maple is one of the few species in this area that will have beautiful autumn color. The foliage will burst into a splendor of yellow, orange, and red before falling off for their dormant period in the winter. The red maple can naturally be found in wet ecosystems and bottomlands; however, given the proper irrigation can make excellent street and urban landscape trees. The urban forestry group is currently using many red maples in our 630-CITY program and can be witnessed being planting in our projects. Although we might still have hot weather in October and November, take a look for some fall color from this excellent tree species in our city!

The National Champion Loblolly Bay, Gordonia lasianthus, is the largest recorded loblolly bay in the country with a diameter of 46" and a height of 117'. This national champion is located in the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens and has been cabled to protect it from splitting.

The tree of the month of June is the Olive tree, Olea europaea. Mostly thought of as a Mediterranean species that produces the common olive fruits that are edible, this unique species is being planted by our Urban Forestry team here in Jacksonville. There has been successfully grown as crops recently to produce the fruit. These olive trees have promising use in our urban landscape being very beautiful, slower growing evergreen trees. They have silvery green leaves and light colored bark. They produce white flowers in late spring and will produce the edible olive fruit and attract wildlife. It has seen to be very hardy and slower growing in our landscape, the Urban Forestry team is excited to see how we can incorporate these stunning trees into our urban forests.

The tree of the month for January, as well as being the start of a new decade, highlights a special planting project by our Jacksonville Urban Forestry Team. Jean Sagin Montney, known as The Lady of the Trees and recognized by Jacksonville city mayor Hans Tanzler in 1972 for her philanthropic efforts in beautifying the city of Jacksonville through tree plantings turned 90 years old today! Unfortunately the cedar tree planted in her honor 48 years ago died. We planted a large 7” Florida Fancy B&B live oak to replace the large cedar we had to take down. The story doesn’t stop there however; a local woodworker has salvaged the cedar wood from the original memorial tree and will be upcycling this wood to make a very special gift for Mrs. Montney. It was our honor, as the urban foresters for the City of Jacksonville, to plant this tree for this truly remarkable woman and celebrate her 90th birthday with her. Come see this new planting at the roundabout in front of the MOSH in San Marco.

The tree of the month for November is the bald cypress. The bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, is a native deciduous-conifer. It’s one of the few conifers in the United States that loses its leaves every fall, hence the name ‘bald cypress’. Before losing its leaves it displays a dazzling fall color that can be seen during the fall months. Most are turning red and brown right now, offering some color to our urban forest. The bald cypress thrives in swampy wet areas and outcompetes other species in these ecosystems creating large cypress domes that can be seen in some of our local parks. One of the iconic traits of the bald cypress are the cypress knees which are actually portions of the roots that grow out of the ground around the tree. Although their function isn’t completely understood, some scientists hypothesize that they aid in obtaining oxygen when situated in wet conditions where roots are constantly submerged in water. This long-lived, slow growing species of cypress makes for a very good urban tree as can be seen in the photo of cypress trees located at Willowbranch Park. Because they are so hardy and do well in low oxygen conditions they make for a very good tree in urban settings where anaerobic conditions are common. For an example of some newly planted bald cypress in our urban landscape, take a stroll down King Street. These cypress trees replaced Bradford Pear trees that had met the end of their short lifespans.