Leaves Are Falling

[AlittleSalt]

I've been watching oak leaves falling for most of this month. They're falling a lot more than usual. There hasn't been any strong storms lately nor high winds. The first two weeks were the typical 100+ degree days of August here, but the last half of the month has seen rain showers and high temps from 80 to the low 90s - which is oddly cool for here. It's sort of like an early autumn.

I took some pictures this morning after watching a doe and fawn grazing out were we don't mow behind the house. We mow around 70 feet behind the house and leave at least that much un-mowed behind it. The deer typically stay in the area that we don't mow.

Anyway, here's the pictures. I'm not sure what is causing the leaves to look like they are, and why they are falling so early?

[Worth1]

Maybe oak wilt due to all of the rain.
None of mine are falling.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

I was thinking the rain has something to do with it too. We are in an area noted as having oak wilt. Here's a PDF describing it better http://www.texasoakwilt.org/Document...lt_English.pdf

My father called it oak blight, but after a search - it brought up oak wilt.

[b54red]

Usually when I have lots of leaves falling this time of the year it is from too little rain and I mean a lot too little. If it stays dry for another month I expect to start seeing leaves falling but it hasn't gotten quite dry enough for that here and it certainly isn't cool enough for them to start dropping off yet. Maybe it is some disease from too much rain that is affecting the leaves of only the oaks.

Bill

[AlittleSalt]

I looked around a lot better after this afternoon's shower. It's just some oak trees with leaves that like the ones pictured above. None of them have odd colored veins. The oak leaves are falling from every oak tree I looked at.

Then I made my way into the elm thicket - their leaves are not falling yet. The Juniper/Cedar, Pecan, and Mesquites look like they should.

[Scooty]

Looks more like tubukia leaf spot (sp?).

[AlittleSalt]

http://plantclinic.tamu.edu/factshee...lte-leaf-spot/ "
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
This disease is most severe in late summer and early fall. This disease is more prevalent during years that are wet. Also, this disease often occurs on oak trees that are under various stresses such as nutritional deficiencies, in particular iron deficiency. Newly transplanted trees are more susceptible to attacks by this fungus than well-established trees."

[Scooty]

Yeah, "tubakia" - that's the one.

[AlittleSalt]

Thank you Scooty, for telling me about it.

As I'm remembering back, I have seen this before. It was years ago and it was during wet years. 2015 and 16 have been very wet years. The 7 years before that was drought, and the hottest year on record 2011.

I was going to edit the post I made after dinner, but it is Tubakia (Actinopelte) Leaf spot.

[Gardeneer]

As Bill mentioned, early tree leaves falling is usually due to drought.
But the leave in the picture shows some kind of fungal/ bacterial lesion/disease.