If you've got a bur oak in your yard and you're noticing wedge-shaped brown patches spreading out from the leaf veins, it's worth a closer look. Bur oak blight tends to show up right about this time of year, and it can be easy to mistake for ordinary late-summer leaf stress.
Unlike a lot of leaf issues that clear up on their own, bur oak blight can come back year after year and slowly weaken the tree if it isn't managed. It spreads through infected leaf litter, so what happens under the canopy matters as much as what's happening in it.
We've been seeing it on properties around Bethalto and Edwardsville the past few weeks. Catching it early gives us more options for managing it before it becomes a bigger structural concern for the tree.
Have you noticed unusual brown patches or early leaf drop on any oaks on your property this summer?
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A close-up photo of oak leaves showing the wedge-shaped brown blight pattern, ideally taken from a recent job site, paired with a wider shot of the affected tree's canopy.
Canva text suggestion: "Is Your Oak Showing These Signs?" or "Catch Bur Oak Blight Early"