Falling Acorns

This is a good month to be a squirrel at the farm. Acorns are falling like rain and the ground is covered. You hear them hit our metal roof day and night. It is so loud, it sounds as if the trees threw the acorns at the roof. Old wive’s tales say all these acorns are a prediction of a bad winter to come.

 The Farmer’s Almanac says the same thing. Coming in at number 15 on their list of 20 indicators of an upcoming bad winter* is: “Abundance of Acorns: A heavy fall of acorns is said to foretell a cold and snowy winter.” I should also note their actual forecast is “a long season of cold and snow for Virginia.”

 If they are right, it is going to be one helluva winter. There are so many acorns falling, you almost need a hard hat when walking from the house to the barn. 

 Of course if you read the science behind it, oak trees have a “Mast year” every 2 to 5 years. According to Google AI, “A mast year is a natural phenomenon when trees and shrubs produce an unusually abundant and synchronized crop of nuts, fruits, and seeds, collectively known as “mast”.”

 A mast year is actually the result of what happened in the previous year(s). It can be caused by excessive nutrients in the ground, a good amount of rain, good weather, and perhaps a need to overwhelm predators, ensuring more oak trees grow. There are some theories that underground fungal conditions help the trees communicate with each other, so they all have mast years at the same time.

 Obviously, squirrels love it, as do mice, deer, chipmunks, turkeys, and several other species of birds. For the animals, this year is the equivalent of an all you can eat buffet at the Golden Corral restaurant chain.

Yea, I was a bit disappointed to learn excessive acorns were no more a predictor of a bad winter than that famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. I’m not much of a winter fan anymore, so we’ll see what happens. In the meantime, proceed with caution if visiting the farm this fall. 

Addendum:

• * You can read the Farmer’s Almanac 20 signs of a bad winter here: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/20-signs-of-a-hard-winter-ahead
• I learned some interesting things about acorns when writing this blog, at least as it applies to old wive’s tales. Carrying an acorn was thought to shield a person from illness and pain. Placing acorns on a windowsill was considered a protective charm to keep lightning from striking the home during a storm. And … Acorns are seen as symbols of good luck, long life, and abundance. 
• Squirrel photo generated with Google Gemini AI. It was then also added to my actual photo of acorns in our driveway for the header picture.