Autumn Acorns

Wildlife, especially squirrels love acorns. Oak trees provide a safe habitat, winter homes and an abundance of acorns stored for winter food stashes. Deer forage among the oaks on cold winter days. Woodpeckers and numerous species use the trees for nesting and shelter. Orioles feed on the nectar of spring oak blooms. Most of all I can take a break from the garden on hot, torrid, humidity laden summer days~ in the shade of these wonderful trees that give us autumn acorns.

I've been fascinated with trees my entire life. Having grown up in rural life trees were a 'natural'. Hot July days were for making hay and other 'sweaty' work. This included loading the wagon, stacking bales in the mow…..and sweating profusely from the blistering heat. At times like that I sometimes gazed across the field to the beautiful green pastures adorned with majestic white oaks and other trees. Cattle and other livestock escaped the sweltering heat beneath the shading branches. I vowed then that one day I too would own some oaks. Long story short; that day is now~ so many years later.

For years this oak tree has produced the largest (and most) acorns on the property. It is the tree at right in this picture. So many acorns fall into the adjoining perennial bed that the squirrels don't always get them all during fall and winter. So there is an occasional seedling popping up here and there. That is why I pick up as many as possible and leave in other places for wildlife. Collecting a box full prompted the photo & the banner.

Thanks for all that info, Leon. The acorns make a very special banner! I love it especially since I've never seen acorns like yours.

Thanks Karen; they are plentiful this year so the wildlife won't go hungry.

Leon, nice banner, photo and story. I've grown up and still live with oaks. Although I appreciate those who have a love for them, I find I spend a great amount of time and energy removing the volunteers from all over the yard. The squirrels do have a habit of burying the acorns, and then forgetting where they hid them.

Great banner Leon!

Love this one, I love Oaks as well, fabulous trees.

Leon,

Wonderful banner! Loved your story, info and pics.

My parents had two Pin Oaks in their yard when they lived in Centerville, OH and on one of the Oaks, is where I saw my first and only sighting of a beautiful adult Red-headed Woodpecker sometime during the 1970's. They eat acorns, as well as some other birds.

Great banner, Leon. It's wonderful that you own oak trees and appreciate them so clearly. We have several English oaks, one (evergreen) Holm oak and one pin oak in Oxfordshire, and a couple of oaks in France. There are several famous oak trees in the UK, some over 1000 years old - I've visited the Birnam oak in Scotland (named in Shakespeare's Macbeth); a fierce storm in 1987 destroyed six of the seven oaks in Sevenoaks, Kent (they have now been replaced, but obviously are much younger than the one remaining mature tree).

We share your love of oak trees!

Leon, what an imaginative banner.

Different but still a very nice banner, Leon.

Thanks everyone. During a wind storm yesterday my neighbor across the road lost one of his oldest oaks. I 'estimate' that it was in excess of 100 years old. It fell (surprisingly) away from the tractor shed nearby into a cornfield. The base of the tree was likely 5-6 feet in diameter. Personally for me it is sad since I have 'known' that tree for 46 years. It is across the road about 1/2 mile from my house. I used my zoom to get the photo this morning.

cliftoncat said:Great banner, Leon. It's wonderful that you own oak trees and appreciate them so clearly. We have several English oaks, one (evergreen) Holm oak and one pin oak in Oxfordshire, and a couple of oaks in France. There are several famous oak trees in the UK, some over 1000 years old - I've visited the Birnam oak in Scotland (named in Shakespeare's Macbeth); a fierce storm in 1987 destroyed six of the seven oaks in Sevenoaks, Kent (they have now been replaced, but obviously are much younger than the one remaining mature tree).
We share your love of oak trees!

Thanks Mika for the input here. My ancestry goes back to Scotland & England. The Birnam oak naturally piqued my interest so I had to take a look on the internet and found it fascinating! There are several sites on that tree, and this one is very good.
https://www.undiscoveredscotla...

Leon, this is such and impressive and beautiful appreciation of a true love of nature. Not only is the banner eye catching because it is a unique subject matter, but it also stirred so much interest and follow- up by the members. I for one, now have a greater appreciation of the mighty Oak. Before my only distinguishing knowledge was the interesting form of the leaf and the acorns. I am enlightened by your banner, its information and inspired to look into the un-obvious beauty around us, always taken for granted. Thank you, Leon.

Thanks, Leon. How sad for both you and your neighbour - and how accommodating of your old friend the oak to arrange to fall away from the tractor shed!

Thanks for the link - it's one I hadn't seen before and full of interesting things.

Mighty fine banner Leon.
Reminds me of a famous oak visited last year, the Turner Oak in Ft Worth, Texas:

Jay thanks for that information.- That is fantastic! It is a grand old oak & very important plaques too. That is a historical tree indeed!

Fleur569 said:Leon, this is such and impressive and beautiful appreciation of a true love of nature. Not only is the banner eye catching because it is a unique subject matter, but it also stirred so much interest and follow- up by the members. I for one, now have a greater appreciation of the mighty Oak. Before my only distinguishing knowledge was the interesting form of the leaf and the acorns. I am enlightened by your banner, its information and inspired to look into the un-obvious beauty around us, always taken for granted. Thank you, Leon.

Fleur~Thank you. I am glad if it has stirred up member interest. Whether we live in city or country trees of all kinds are critical to our existence. Personally my home will never be without trees for many reasons. The first being their natural beauty and shade. A few years back we had to remove two of our large old white oaks. They left a void. So we planted four other trees in their place. Chances are we will never 'sit in their shade'. But that's OK; someone will enjoy them some day in the future.

Thanks to everyone for your comments, support and shared interest. In sharing ideas like this one we sometimes learn more than we contribute. That has been true for me today. I am especially thankful for each comment. I feel as though I've learned from all of you; your input & kind remarks have been great! What is more important is to see such interest from the far corners of the globe; New Zealand, Baja-California, England, France, Ohio, Kentucky, New York, Sweden, Illinois, Texas, British Columbia, Oregon, New Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Northumberland-UK and Minnesota.

Last, but not least, a big thanks for the acorns & thumbs. Very rewarding for so little work on my part.

Leon, this banner has to be one of my top favorites! I love to see different subject matter for banners bc it's thinking outside the box. Just stunning, my friend! ......and I've enjoyed learning more about oak trees than what one typically learns of them in grade school.