Oak trees come in mainly two types: white and red. The main differences include tannin count, acorn maturity time, and acorn drop duration. Although both types of oaks are important for attracting wildlife, you should plant slightly more red oaks than whites.

White Oaks

White oaks produce acorns each year, have acorns with fewer tannins and usually drop their acorns early in the fall.

Red Oaks

Red oak acorns take two years to mature on the tree but have a crop almost every year, so there are uneven aged acorns on the tree. Red oaks typically have a higher tannin content and typically drop their acorns over a long period of time — from October to as late as February, depending on the species.