Acorns

[Kayser]

Haven't seen any acorns on the trees this year, whether its the pinoaks in my yard or the whites and blacks out in the woods. It seems like that late frost this year might have killed off all the acorns. If so, what does this mean for MO wildlife like squirrels, turkeys, and deer that depend on the acorns to get them through the winter?

Rob

[Seth]

Acorns around here are hit or miss. Some tree's are bare while the one right next to it might be falling over with acorns. My oak flats that I like to hunt on don't have very many, which stinks. The deer have plenty of wheat, clover, turnips, etc to eat around here and the squirrels should have enough hickory nuts to last them till next year they are so thick around here.

[patfish]

Guess I should have saved the billions, and I mean BILLIONS that were in my yard here in Oakville. Earlier in the year the yard was like walking on marbles.

[Dave Cook]

We are seeing the effects of the hard freeze of April last year. Red oaks (pin oaks) this year are bare this year because of it. I've heard that the white oaks should have nuts this year but I haven't been to the woods to verify.

[Kayser]

I was just down at Bull Shoals Lake last weekend, and trees that had acorns, squirrels, and a flying squirrel in it are completely bare this year. Most of the oaks in IL were bare when I went squirrel hunting a couple of weeks ago, too.

Rob

[bclift65706]

my dads white oak is loaded and the oak trees where my tree stand is are loaded to. I dident have any last year .

[SKMO]

Guess I should have saved the billions, and I mean BILLIONS that were in my yard here in Oakville. Earlier in the year the yard was like walking on marbles.

Patfish - If you had Billions of acorns in your yard earlier this year that is not really a good sign. Ripe, mature, healthy acorns are just starting to drop. When acorns (or fruit of any tree) has a problem (not pollinated, insect or disease infestation) the tree will abort the nut (fruit) and not waste energy on producing a big pretty hollow acorn.

This is really noticible on walnut trees which (depending on the tree) start dropping nuts of various sizes, all of which have a problem, most of which are discolored and half-size.

If you see acorns falling in June/July early Aug, and break into them you will find insect larvae in them, or they will be hollow (unpollinated).

[fisher19]

Dont know what to tell you but the lands that i hunt on the tree, are full of acorns and just started dropping last week. Some of the land is in south central missouri and the others are in southwest. I dont know if the hard freeze in april had a lot to do with it because both pieces of land got it and they still have them everywhere.

[bclift65706]

Can you EAT acorns? Never heard of that except I think the indians would mash them and soak the tannin out then make bread.

never heard of anyone eating them but they will kill cattle and if they can kill a cow I dont think I will be eating them.

[Terry Beeson]

Actually, acorns are edible. I'm not sure where you got the idea that they kill cows. Deer eat them like candy and have the same gastric system as cows. Some acorns contain cyanide, but not those on oak trees. They only contain tannis which makes them taste bitter.

Oak acorns can be used like flour if you boil them first (to get rid of the bitter tannis) and dried, then pounded into a flour. Makes a nutty flavored bread when mixed with wheat flour.

The acorn crop has a way of providing food for nature. The different oak trees produce in cycles. You may not see many acorns in one area where one type of oak is dominant. The next area that has a different type, will have a big crop. The white oaks I've seen on our place in Arkansas are pretty heavy with acorns.