Acorns......or lack thereof.

[Lakesrider]

So all this hot weather seems to be having an effect/affect on my oak tree. I have lots of baby acorns falling in my driveway and they are very small. I look up into the trees and see very few still on the branches. I know this is a defensive posture the tree takes by not wanting to supply the acorns but man they are falling all over the place and I can't walk bare foot in the yard as the little spikey ends HURT! Anyone else having this problem? No acorns...no food for the little chipmunks and squirrels. A few years ago this happened and I noticed a big decrease in the chipmunk population. Maybe natures way of thinning things out.

[Pineedles]

Its not only squirrels and chipmunks that eat acorns its bears and deer too. If they are dropping now there will be a shortage come fall.

[MAXUM]

The deer will eat them on occasion, however they are not really a primary food source for the deer unless there are no other more desirable food sources around such as grasses, leafy plants or fruit such as apples or pears.

[John A. Birdsall]

Well, this year I have seen more chipmunks and squirrels than I think in the past. Last weekend while on my boat at the dock I watched five chipmunks playing on the beach and going under the boat house. I usually only see one or two and they might have been one in the same. But five at a time is unusual. In some areas where the acorns are falling they chipmunks and squirrels may be in hiding., Would you want one of them bombs falling on your head? ouch.

[DEJ]

The Acorn is THE preferred deer food in the Eastern US. Where Oak trees are abundant, and acorns crops are heavy, the deer will be there. Given a choice between traveling great distances between bedding/security cover and feeding areas, or simply hanging out in a secure area with all the food you could eat, there's little reason for the deer to put themselves in potential danger by going elsewhere for food that is not quite as tasty, full of fats and starch, and so easily obtainable. In years of heavy acorn crops, deer may never even venture into that apple orchard - opting to hang tight on ridge tops and deep within deciduous forests feeding on acorns.

The acorn is low in protein content, but very high in fats and carbohydrates. They are easily digestible, their nutrients are readily absorbed, and they are processed and passed through the body quickly. Because these little nuts are so easily digestible, deer eat lots of them per day, which also gets them the protein content they need to be healthy. On a bumper year, deer can gain a lot of weight in just two weeks, while fawns and yearlings gain muscle, mass and bone while foraging on acorns. By late October, the deer has a thick slab of fat underneath the coat, and along the inside of the paunch.

[SteveA]

In the 25 years we've been here in NH we have noticed that there are wide swings in acorn production on our property. It seems that cycle is normal.

This article is several years old.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/gree...ing_hea_1.html

Last year was a bumper crop, we had what seemed like millions of them. I don't think we'll really know about this year until fall.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by John A. Birdsall

Well, this year I have seen more chipmunks and squirrels than I think in the past. Last weekend while on my boat at the dock I watched five chipmunks playing on the beach and going under the boat house. I usually only see one or two and they might have been one in the same. But five at a time is unusual. In some areas where the acorns are falling they chipmunks and squirrels may be in hiding., Would you want one of them bombs falling on your head? ouch.

I hadn't noticed any "acorn difference" this year; however, we've never seen so many chipmunks!

(But because our family doesn't see them anywhere else, we enjoy their New Hampshire unique-to-us company, habits and hilarious antics).

Last month, I spread a large number of sunflower seeds on a sun deck to see the maximum we could coax out while we enjoyed crackers, wine, and the late afternoon.

Counting wasn't easy to do, because chipmunks become very territorial around food and chase after one another in a serious—but hilarious—manner.

We managed to count eight chipmunks at one time—all in "full-chase" mode. Emboldened by "chipmunk-adrenalin", chipmunks even chased off some red squirrels!

One guest said of the encounter, "It's like being inside a pin-ball machine!"

[VitaBene]

We also have noted the huge increase in chipmunks this year, they love our stone walls! I would guess the population is 50 or more.

[tis]

I agree. THey like my tomatoes which doesn't make me like them. They dug a hole into my garden.

[CrawfordCentury]

Originally Posted by SteveA

In the 25 years we've been here in NH we have noticed that there are wide swings in acorn production on our property. It seems that cycle is normal.

This article is several years old.

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/gree...ing_hea_1.html

Last year was a bumper crop, we had what seemed like millions of them. I don't think we'll really know about this year until fall.

Plant biologists call high-yield years like 2009 a mast year - mast being a synonym for the acorns, nuts, maple helicopters etc. that trees issue forth.

I wish I could recall the source to provide attribution, but I seem to remember hearing that oaks, ashes, beech, etc. periodically have these huge profusions as a means of overwhelming nut eating critters, making more acorns than they can all possibly gather in a single season, ensuring that an ample seed stock will usher in the next generation of seedlings.

[Jonas Pilot]

View image in gallery

[tis]

As cute as they are, best keep them OUT of my sight!!!

[Lakesrider]

Maybe this is why I don't have too many squirrels or chipmunks around anymore.

[tis]

But you know we have a fox wandering around here too. He has a route that goes right through our yard. He just must be too busy thinking of his destination to stop and get one here. I noticed yesterday so many acorns have fallen that you can't walk! I hate oak trees!