Acorns and Sap

[Weekend Pundit]

Is it just me or has anyone noticed the acorns are falling from the oaks about a month earlier than usual? I've also noticed a 'sprinkle' of sap appearing on the windows of my pickup and 'dotting' the paint.

A neighbor mentioned yesterday morning that our road felt "sticky" when he was out for his "morning constitutional" and I noticed that a number of leaves on the oaks out behind my house look like someone sprayed them with a hose as they appeared to be wet. They were wet...with sap! I don't recall seeing oaks looking like this.

This morning as I was leaving for work I noticed a wet patch on our road where an oak's branches overhang the road. Curious, I stopped and got out of my pickup, bent down and ran my fingers along the dark patch. It was wet and sticky.

Tree sap.

I honestly don't recall ever seeing this before. I certainly haven't seen it in the 7 years I've lived in my present home or during the 14 years I lived in my previous home just on the other side of the hill from where I live now.

Is anyone else seeing this?

[tis]

Originally Posted by Weekend Pundit

Is it just me or has anyone noticed the acorns are falling from the oaks about a month earlier than usual? I've also noticed a 'sprinkle' of sap appearing on the windows of my pickup and 'dotting' the paint.

A neighbor mentioned yesterday morning that our road felt "sticky" when he was out for his "morning constitutional" and I noticed that a number of leaves on the oaks out behind my house look like someone sprayed them with a hose as they appeared to be wet. They were wet...with sap! I don't recall seeing oaks looking like this.

This morning as I was leaving for work I noticed a wet patch on our road where an oak's branches overhang the road. Curious, I stopped and got out of my pickup, bent down and ran my fingers along the dark patch. It was wet and sticky.

Tree sap.

I honestly don't recall ever seeing this before. I certainly haven't seen it in the 7 years I've lived in my present home or during the 14 years I lived in my previous home just on the other side of the hill from where I live now.

Is anyone else seeing this?

I definitely think the acorns are early and I have a ton of them. I couldn't walk barefoot they were so bad.

[Biggd]

Not in my yard, I had way more last year, sap too.

[Winilyme]

Not so much here in Meredith. Primarily, we have oaks, pines and beech on our property. The oaks aren't producing a whole lot of anything...so far anyway. Our squirrels aren't going to like that and I suspect they'll relocate to the OP's house. I've never seen sap on oaks.

The pines on the other hand have good years and bad. This is unquestionably a good year. Very little sap and that means a lot less cleaning it off the deck and furniture. Definitely a blessing.

All that said, I did notice beginning few days ago that our deck seemed a bit 'sticky'. I assumed it was coming from the pines in a different way than it has in the past. Upon close inspection, instead of the normal larger drops, it's like a carpet bombing of countless micro pinprick sized droplets. I can't explain this. Normally it's larger drops and spatters that tend to come down, especially, with wind or rain.

[Weekend Pundit]

Originally Posted by Winilyme

Not so much here in Meredith.

All that said, I did notice beginning few days ago that our deck seemed a bit 'sticky'. I assumed it was coming from the pines in a different way than it has in the past. Upon close inspection, instead of the normal larger drops, it's like a carpet bombing of countless micro pinprick sized droplets. I can't explain this. Normally it's larger drops and spatters that tend to come down, especially, with wind or rain.

That's what I've been seeing, the micro droplets. I have to clean the windshield on my pickup every morning. Just before I closed up the house for the night I stepped outside and my driveway felt sticky.

A friend thought it might be caused by an infestation of aphids, so I took a closer look at some of the leaves on one of the oaks in my yard and even with a magnifying glass I couldn't see any. That doesn't mean they aren't there, but just that I didn't see any.

[tis]

Originally Posted by Winilyme

Not so much here in Meredith. Primarily, we have oaks, pines and beech on our property. The oaks aren't producing a whole lot of anything...so far anyway. Our squirrels aren't going to like that and I suspect they'll relocate to the OP's house. I've never seen sap on oaks.

The pines on the other hand have good years and bad. This is unquestionably a good year. Very little sap and that means a lot less cleaning it off the deck and furniture. Definitely a blessing.

All that said, I did notice beginning few days ago that our deck seemed a bit 'sticky'. I assumed it was coming from the pines in a different way than it has in the past. Upon close inspection, instead of the normal larger drops, it's like a carpet bombing of countless micro pinprick sized droplets. I can't explain this. Normally it's larger drops and spatters that tend to come down, especially, with wind or rain.

I have noticed less sap from the pines also but tons of pine needles this year.