Mexican Blue Oak is a small to medium semi-evergreen oak of the sky island mountains and border ranges of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and Mexico, easily identified by its distinctively blue-gray, oval, untoothed leaves. It grows at the lower elevations of the Madrean oak woodland zone, often intermixing with Emory Oak and desert grassland species. Its small acorns are produced annually and are a critical food resource in this biodiverse but food-limited landscape.
Best time to see a Mexican Blue Oak
The best time to see a Mexican Blue Oak is March–September, when about 63% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 702 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
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