The AM Forum

I just read there are no acorns this year. I usually have a big crop. None in my yard. Once I thought it meant lots of snow but it didn't happen. Poor tree rats are going to have a tuff winter.

I thought this was going to be about a shortage of RCA 954, 955, & 956's. :)

Nerd.

That issue was covered in a recent Washington Post...Few acorns in the DC area this year. Here in the west, my Bur and Gambel Oaks didn't do any this year, either. Oaks are pretty tough things, though. And most of them seem to take a break from making acorns every other year. 2008 was a rather dry year a lot of places in the CONUS, too.

Don't tell the squirrels, we don't need immigrants, but they are all over the yard from the  post oaks.  Like walking on ball bearings.  It hasn't been particularly wet this year, maybe normal precip, but that was early in the season.

The lack of acorns was compensated for by the huge bumper crop of walnuts we had.  The bushy-tails have to dig a much bigger hole in my yard to bury those than they do for acorns.

If you read it in the Washington Compost, it's likely incorrect. Tons of acorns here, just a few hours south of DC.

I agree with that assessment of the 'beltwaste compost.'
We had tons of acorns, hickory and walnuts.
- One hell of a mast year, par excellence.

My other QTH Hickory had a good crop but the oaks were bare. Same in Enfield where most trees are oak. We have none and it was a wet year around here.
I might throw some bird seed on the ground to bail out the poor tree rats when it gets real cold.
The cat loves to chase them for sport.

From what I've seen, the tree dump more acorns after a dry summer. I guess they feel the threat of impending death (no water) so they make sure the species lives on.

Interesting I never thought of that one. I have seen a lot when it is dry.
I noticed the big white oak at the beach didn't look that great this year. I thought the high water table may have effected it. The surface is only about 4 feet above the swamp and water table.
I once claimed it was going to be a heavy snow year. We got nothing, got a good raz from everyone. My boss made the same clain two years ago and he was also wrong.
I wonder if this is also true in humans??

They usually procreate more when drinking.

Nothing new. I've seen this over the years from oaks and other nut producing trees.  My oaks didn't produce many acorns this year but last year was just the opposite and an incredible amount.  In the back corner I have a hickory tree. It produced a gazillion nuts 2 years ago, hardly anything this year.  I remember the same thing at my parents place when I was JN.

What I'm very glad about is the non-existant lady bugs this year.  Last year they drove me nuts throughout the winter. And no big hairy and juicy spiders either. 

Frank, Are you off between Xmas and NY'ers?  Maybe we can play some radio.
Bob

Yup everything in cycles ....

Some trees will go several years and not produce a thing..
Then go 10 years with lots of fruit (nuts, berries.... whatever)

What I noticed here is a LOT of acorns on the ground...
That is unusual... usually those tree-rats (nice Frank!) have them all scooped up, buried, and forgotten before they hit the ground.

Hopefully that means they've moved on to tear the crap out of someone else's house, and not MINE!

Or the Coyotes, Fishers and Fox have them a little worried......

Interesting thread. Hadn't thought about it but thinking back this year was light on acorns, hickory and walnuts in southeast PA. I have large Black and English walnut trees behind my property and did not have the usual round green liter in the back alley. So for the yard rats, did any of you guys ever smoke Grey squirrel hind quarters? Hickory smoke that is. Goes good with beverage of choice.

Used to just skin them, quarter them and fry the four parts in flower batter, onions, or cornmeal, etc.
Never thought to try to smoke them.  Took a mess to make dinner for more than one.

I think the problem is related to the shortage of bees.
For some reason,, they are dying out. 
At my in-law's house in Providence RI, there are two large oak trees which produced barrells and barrels of acorns.  This year nothing.

Einstein said that the fate of humans is closely tied to the fate of bees.

I am not chasing the squirrels from the bird feeder this season.

73
Steve WA2DTW

I'm not sure of the reason for the acorn shortage, but I see the result. The squirrels appear to be in a panic trying to find "stuff" to bury in the yard. My wife and I are conducting a yard-wide war on them as they appear to be targeting all the areas we re-seeded this fall. They have acres of woods to play in, and in years past that's where they've conducted their business, but they have suddenly taken a new interest in excavating the yard for some reason. Ah well, I've got lots of pellets for the Crossman Pumpmaster!

My feline friend keeps the rodents at bay.  It's funny to watch her stalk them and then go on the chase.

We had plenty of bees here in the garden. The cat kept the varmits out of the garden so it was my best crop in 5 years. Today the birds are going crazy in the feeder. The cat came in for 5 minutes and she went right back out to chase them.

The acorn shortage is an evolutionary survival tactic of oak trees.

From what I've read, every three years or so oak trees produce few acorns. This causes the squirrels and other users to starve over the winter and decrease the rodent population. Otherwise, if the trees produced abundantly every year, the varmit population would soar and oak trees would soon die out lacking new sprouts.

I've noticed the same cycle with apple trees and nut trees too.  I suppose it's like everything evolutionary - nature simply tries everything possible and the species that survive are the ones that happen to use the best method (by chance) for the particular era. Over the ages, there are probably many, many tree varities that simply vanished cuz they produced abundant, edible seeds every year. Oak trees just happened to get it right.

Speaking of squirrels, I wonder how popular they'd be if they didn't have bushy tails and didn't live in trees? 

T

Hmmmm...   Tom, I'm guessing that if their ears are big enough, it just might work out for them...

Dave said:
Are you kidding me?? The bottom half of my yard was nothing but a carpet of black walnut husks. The portion by the hickory trees were also littered with, homage to Euell Gibbons, wild hickory nuts! That was after the tree rats ransacked them.

No shortage of acorns from our oaks (we have many) in the yard here in SE CT.  No shortage of leaves either - one of the heaviest leaf drops I can recall in 29 years since we moved in here.  Of course the trees get bigger every year, and this year there were not many dry days that I could rake leaves up on after they all came down with a thump all at once...finally got them up last weekend.

Man that is weird Chris what are we maybe 15 miles apart Niantic to
N. Stonington

No shortage of acorns here either.  This year and last year yielded more acorns than I've seen in years.  I suppose this means an influx of mice, rats and squirrels from the famine areas for me. 

It only takes one buried, uneaten acorn to turn into another large oak.  Think of how many oak trees were a result of a forgotten, buried acorn.

I was reading that acorns are edible by humans and there are recipes on the web. 

yes, acorns are edible, but you have to do a lot of work to make them so.  Too much tannic acid (a powerfull laxitive).  Soaking them in water, with several changes for several days or until the water no longer darkens (tannic acid is what makes the water black and stains things black under the oak trees).   The indians would just put all the gathered acorns in baskets and sink them in a stream for a few days or so. Once they are clean, they are easy to prepare and last a long time when ground and stored dry.  Since they are usually used ground up, and they are a nut, flour made with them does not rise, but has more of a tortilla like consistence, or cornbread.  Good for adding to stews, soups, and other dishes. Usually used a base for a dish and not the whole dish.
 Classic indian recipe was acorn poridge with venison (or other meat), add what ever flavoring to the mix you like. Pretty tasty with wild onions. ;D  add berries and maple syrup etc.