Quercus gambelii: the shape of things

Before they lose their chlorophyll, I wanted to look at several leaves from the scrub oak, side by side. 
This morning I did that (with Blue's help).
Each is recognizable as an oak leaf. 
And each is different from the others.
There are as many as 11 lobes and as few as 7.
Wishing for more words to describe what I'm seeing, more words to help me see better, I take at look at Flora of North America:

"Leaf blade elliptic to obovate or oblong, deeply to shallowly 4-6-lobed, (40-)80-120(-160) × (25-)40-60(-100) mm, membranous, base truncate to cuneate, margins entire or coarsely toothed, lobes oblong, rounded or subacute, sinuses acute or narrowly rounded at base, reaching more than 1/2 distance to midrib, secondary veins 4-6 on each side, each passing into lobe, branched, apex broadly rounded."

In other words, given the generous use of "or," quite varied.
And beautiful.

FIREWATCH

Still very hot. Windy. Extremely dry.


Fires still burning, although none we can actually see at the moment.


But where there's fire there's smoke—and ash.


And where there's the threat of fire—there we are cutting back our scrub oak, Quercus gambelii, lessening the likelihood that the house will burn if there's a wildfire. 


Scrub oak is tannin-rich, so scratches and cuts heal slowly.

Creatures of the Day and Night: Wildflowers #9

some kind of composite, just open today

ant + scrub oak, Quercus gambelii

Wildflowers #6: An Explosion of New Blossoms

Hydrophyllum capitatum/ballhead waterleaf

Balsamorhiza sagittata arrowleaf balsamroot

not sure about this one

Quercus gambelii/scrub oak catkins

maple greening up in the scrub oak

tasty breakfast for the deer

Astragalus, but what genus? milk vetch

not sure about this one either