Why so many Acorn's this year?

[treeclimber101]

I'm don't think the tree knows what kind of winter it will be. If anything I'd have to agree with the squirrel theory more. Overwhelm the wildlife hoping they would leave some uneaten acorns to reproduce.
The only thing I'm sure about is they cycles a couple years of heavy acorn production then a couple years of light production then heavy again and so on.

Its also seemed that even with the heavy snow that spring came a bit earlier this year, possibly lengthening the cycle ..I have a about 15 mature white and red oak behind my house and about 5 or 6 smaller less than 5 years old and have seen huge acorns on the younger trees and relatively small on the larger ..

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

So how do these theories about acorns fit with the fact that my oaks AND my hickory are dumping tons of nuts this year?

 

[capetrees]

Trees are predicting the future? This is a joke, right? What does a tree do in response to predicting a hot summer or a wet summer? What does it do to predict a windy season ahead? Come on. The acorns are fruit and like an apple or pear tree, they are produced in abundance if they have had a good spring when the tree emerged from winter. Lots of factors play into it but if the indicators are favorable, the trees produce.

 

[dingeryote]

Trees are predicting the future? This is a joke, right? What does a tree do in response to predicting a hot summer or a wet summer? What does it do to predict a windy season ahead? Come on. The acorns are fruit and like an apple or pear tree, they are produced in abundance if they have had a good spring when the tree emerged from winter. Lots of factors play into it but if the indicators are favorable, the trees produce.

Yep. Not predictive. But part and partial to predictive..or loosely so.

However, the heavy and light mast production cycles, have evolved with weather cycles.

Quite often, a Heavy Mast year coincides with a bastard of a winter, not always, but often enough that between the Mast crop, length of fur on Fox squirrels bellys, timing of the bloom of Queen Anns lace in summer, Big lake water temp in October, and the end cycle timing of many fruit crops, folks get a roundabout prediction around here.
At least as good as those jackass Meteorologist morons that believe in Global warming anyhow.

I personally go by Yellow jackets and wood piles
If the Yellow Jackets are still flying on 15 November, and I have a short wood pile, it's gonna be colder than normal. The Manitou hates me and always has.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Bob Wright]

I was just down at my son's house and he has a huge Oak in his front lawn. I asked if it was full of acorns? He said i have been here 6 years and never saw any. So i walked out to see and picked up a big bag in a few minutes and some were already sprouting little roots...Bob

 

[treeclimber101]

Trees are predicting the future? This is a joke, right? What does a tree do in response to predicting a hot summer or a wet summer? What does it do to predict a windy season ahead? Come on. The acorns are fruit and like an apple or pear tree, they are produced in abundance if they have had a good spring when the tree emerged from winter. Lots of factors play into it but if the indicators are favorable, the trees produce.

A tree can predict within its limits , picking itself up and walking away when it gets windy is just crazy talk , or sitting in the shade on a hot day , I mean come on ......

 

[buzz sawyer]

Yep. Not predictive. But part and partial to predictive..or loosely so.

However, the heavy and light mast production cycles, have evolved with weather cycles.

Quite often, a Heavy Mast year coincides with a bastard of a winter, not always, but often enough that between the Mast crop, length of fur on Fox squirrels bellys, timing of the bloom of Queen Anns lace in summer, Big lake water temp in October, and the end cycle timing of many fruit crops, folks get a roundabout prediction around here.
At least as good as those jackass Meteorologist morons that believe in Global warming anyhow.

I personally go by Yellow jackets and wood piles
If the Yellow Jackets are still flying on 15 November, and I have a short wood pile, it's gonna be colder than normal. The Manitou hates me and always has.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

Good point Dingeryote. People have been using signs like this for hundreds of years and plants have been around for hundreds of millions. Who's to say they haven't developed cycles that correspond to the environment. In any case, can't hurt to prepare for the worst and be pleasantly surprised than the other way around.

 

[ozzy42]

The live oaks have been in top gear with the acorn droppings way down here also.

My guess is they all watch the fox squirrel news channel and were leery of the republican sweep in the election ,leading to the eventual demise of the EPA and are in fear for their livesopcorn:

 

[dingeryote]

The live oaks have been in top gear with the acorn droppings way down here also.

My guess is they all watch the fox squirrel news channel and were leery of the republican sweep in the election ,leading to the eventual demise of the EPA and are in fear for their livesopcorn:

You're taking it all wrong.
The Oaks have realized thier conservative roots, and are completely divesting themselves of any connection to ACORN. LOL!!!

Oak trees, Smarter and more honest than any Democrat.:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Bob Wright]

Oak trees, Smarter and more honest than any Democrat.:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

Hard headed and full of nuts...Bob

 

[ozzy42]

You're taking it all wrong.
The Oaks have realized thier conservative roots, and are completely divesting themselves of any connection to ACORN. LOL!!!

Oak trees, Smarter and more honest than any Democrat.:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

Oh, ACORN. I forgot about them.
I need to tsee if they can get my oldest son an apt.
He's driving me NUTS.


:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[happycamper.]

why so many acorns

I have been hanging out in the same woods for the last 6 or 7 years. I have picked up Acorns and got like 20 each year. I wondered why there wasn't any squirrels. This summer there are like barrels of acorns off all the Oak trees both white and red. Even mine at home have lots. Maybe it was the real bad winter last year? I don't know but i scooped up a mickey D's bag full to plant. I even imported a squirrel...Bob

i think we are in for a bad winterlots of snow ice etc

 

[Labman]

Funny, I think we have a lot less than usual. Good rain through July, and none since.

 

[ghostrider990]

Fairly dry spring/summer here in Eastern Iowa -- my Burr Oaks /hickory's/ walnuts have been pretty quiet this year.

Too bad -- I need to plant a few more!

gr

 

[ghostrider990]

SPAMMER ALERT.

I Flagged it already.

 

[Marine5068]

Been NUTS here too.
I have lived here with some big old White Oak trees on my property now for over 6 years and this year we had at least twice as many acorns as all the last 5 years.
Speaking of the nuts hitting the car and denting it, I park my aluminum fishing boat close to one large tree and kept hearing a loud tin pinning and stupid me wondering what it was.
Well, did I feel dumb when I found out it was the extra amount of acorns this year that were reaching out over the boat and sounding like someone was throwing stones at it.
Worst part is that a few days later, I heard it again and had to walk to the window to see what, "That darn noise" was.....I felt so stupid and the Wife was laughing at me...oh well....a humbling is good once in a while.
And here we had WAY more squirrels and eastern chipmunks this year. So fat that they had trouble moving....lol.

 

[Bob Wright]

Well now that winters almost over i know the answer of my question. My area of the woods got over 100" of snow a record this winter. Snow and ice covered the ground for 95% of winter. I went down to the woods today where the snow is almost gone as well as most of the acorns that were on the ground. Fresh deer tracks from yesterday cover the area so it looks like all the animals in the area ate well and the acorns that are left might be trees someday...Bob

 

[Bob Wright]

I know i started this post 2 years ago and the massive snow took care of my question why so many acorns. Last year was light snow and acorns. But this year the acorns are tiny tiny so it looks like slim pickins for the animals...Bob

 

[buzz sawyer]

I know i started this post 2 years ago and the massive snow took care of my question why so many acorns. Last year was light snow and acorns. But this year the acorns are tiny tiny so it looks like slim pickins for the animals...Bob

Funny, I was thinking about this thread last weekend as I was cleaning my driveway and noticed some really small acorns. Probably due to the dry weather.

 

[capetrees]

That would be my guess. Started out nice and wet where I am in the spring and then July was hot and dry. Seems like the fruit couldn't develop properly without water. Saw a lot of early stage apples drop from trees also, almost like the trees were casting off excess during dry times.