Mighty Oak

While working last weekend on the construction of a deer stand on the lean-to of the barn (granary) I spied this.

A tiny oak seedling seeking freedom thru the crack in the deck.

Imagine that.

An acorn likely gathered and secreted by a critter in its lair beneath the porch decking.

Against the foundation, middle of the deck, the acorn germinates in near darkness.

Miraculously, it seeks and follows the smallest amount of sunlight filtering through the crack.

And emerges triumphantly into daylight.

Astonishingly, this happens to be the little oak that beat nature's odds.

I'm not betting on it's long term plans for survival or its options; but I'm gonna leave it be for the present.

Some things in nature never cease to amaze me....

  

Situational Awareness

From one of our morning walks we kept a sharp eye peeled and took note of the acorn crop materializing on the swamp and bur oaks.  Deer hunting should be good this fall with natural mast food sources.

And we spied a nest.  My first impression was that it was a paper wasp nest.  Yet too small - slightly larger than my clenched fist.  It was of woven grass and paper birch bark bits all-over.  It was a cup-style bird nest and superbly camouflaged. 

Having never identified one previously Google Image tells me that a red-eyed vireo constructed this home.

Another first.  

Fall Feast

Quercus bicolor​ - the swamp white oak​ - is a North American white oak species​.  A key player in our overall reforestry plan we planted thousands of them decades ago.  Its acorn development follows a fairly consistent cycle, typical of white oaks, but with a few species-specific traits​.

Like all members of the white oak group swamp white oak acorns mature in a single growing season (roughly 4–5 months after pollination).​  Fertilized flowers begin to swell in late May–June​ and the acorns remain small through early summer.​ Beginning now the acorns enlarge rapidly.

The cap is distinctive​ - shallow and scaly​ - covering about one-third of the nut, often with loose, fringed edges.​  The acorns reach full size (about 1–1.5 inches long) in September–October​ and are light brown to chestnut brown when mature.​  They drop to the ground soon after ripening, and because they lack a dormancy requirement, they often germinate in the same autumn if soil conditions are​ optimal.​  They're ​dispersed mainly by gravity, squirrels, and jays.

​This species of oak tends to have high acorn production in mast years, but irregular cycles ​with bumper crops every 4–7 years.​  As a wildlife food source they're relatively sweet (low tannin) compared to red oaks, making them highly favored by deer, turkeys, duck​s and squirrels.

​I have an aux naturele bait pile.....

Situational Awareness

From our walk this morning we found swamp and bur oak acorns.  The critters gonna love all this mast.

And the big bluestem was pollinating. 

Yes, grass pollinates.

It costs nothing to be aware of the natural world...