October 25, 2009 - Acorn Predictions

Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

There is a folk saying that “an abundance of acorns” is a sign of a rough winter to come. The idea is that the more acorns produced by oaks, the more food there will be for squirrels, deer, turkeys and bears to get them through the harsh winter months to come. What a wonderful collaborative effort between trees and animals that would be! And what great long-term weather forecasters oak trees must be! In reality the acorn crop is more a reflection of what was rather than a prediction of what will be. Oak trees are not annual producers. During a warm, dry spring, oak pollen fills the air. An autumn filled with lots of acorns typically follows these pollen-coated springs. Some years oaks store energy, while in others the energy goes into acorn production. It’s anything but predictable.
 
This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.