new spring growth

Looks like new maple leaves. Not sure though.

Quercus shumardii?

http://treesandshrubs.about.co...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q...

I think you're on the right track Janet but shumardi is pretty localized in southern Illinois while I'm in central Illinois. I'm trending toward Northern Red Oak.
Thanks.

It's certainly an oak of the red oak group. They're often difficult to tell apart, but the newly emerged leaves of Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) are often tinged red or pink. Might be Black Oak (Quercus velutina), its new leaves are often yellowish like in your picture. Could be any of at least a half dozen species, though.

I found some good shots of leaves etc. of Quercus velutina but you really need to see the mature leaves..

http://www.ibiblio.org/openkey...

Flowers
Male and female flowers appear on the same tree, but separately, as the leaves start to unfold. Male flowers appear as drooping clusters (catkins) and females in clusters of 1 to 4. Acorns are either single or born in pairs, are oval, and up to 3/4 inch long.

http://www.museum.state.il.us/...

A few Oak facts ..

http://www.livinglandsandwater...

The quote above states the flowers of Black Oak are in drooping clusters, both male and female but "females in clusters of 1 to 4". The tree in question has single catkins, what is the possibility they are all female in single 'clusters'?

A photo of Black Oak showing large clusters. .

http://www.wildflower.org/gall...

Shumard oak ..

http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dend...

Shumard Oak, a monoecious species like all other Oaks, has pendulous pollen-bearing male catkins in mid-spring that fertilize the miniature female flowers on the same tree or on nearby trees.

http://ohiodnr.com/forestry/tr...

http://tidcf.nrcan.gc.ca/trees...

http://tidcf.nrcan.gc.ca/trees...

A few more Oaks to study ..

http://people.duke.edu/~jspipp...

Locations ..

http://luirig.altervista.org/f...

Quercus shumardii var. stenocarpa is in IL only!

http://plants.usda.gov/java/pr...

http://eol.org/pages/1297459/o...

But it's only a synonym of Quercus shumardii according ITIS

http://www.itis.gov/servlet/Si...

I'm going w/ the Q. velutina. Thanks for all your input (learned a lot myself checking out all those sites).