Winter Sucks

[fooferdoggie]

Oaks can be really slow to drop their leaves.

 

[PedalUma]

Oaks can be really slow to drop their leaves.

Most oaks around here are evergreens and around early October they drop thousands of acorns. Ducks waddle up from the river to hang out under the trees to wait for a nut to fall and then to swallow them whole. They will do that all day to fatten up for the Winter. They are very cute and I would never harm one, but I will bet that like prosciutto all those acorns would make for a tasty smoked duck.
Another thing that gets swallowed whole are gophers. The egrets come up from fishing and go out in the fields. When they see a gopher move they stab it and toss it in the air and gulp it down.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Feeling a tad peckish? Gopher it!

 

[stompandgo]

This place it truly weird. Winter is a combination of Fall and Spring. This photo is from today of a white oak. It is next to a crabapple in full bloom.

View attachment 206758

I love my quarter-sawn white oak floors.

 

[stompandgo]

Oaks can be really slow to drop their leaves.

Around here, the spring buds push out the last of them.

 

[PedalUma]

Feeling a tad peckish? Gopher it!

You get what you get when you gopher it. Bill Murray could have used one in Caddyshack. There is a dog park that has gophers. It looks like dogs are in prayer when they watch a hole with total devotion.

 

[stompandgo]

Most oaks around here are evergreens and around early October they drop thousands of acorns. Ducks waddle up from the river to hang out under the trees to wait for a nut to fall and then to swallow them whole. They will do that all day to fatten up for the Winter. They are very cute and I would never harm one, but I will bet that like prosciutto all those acorns would make for a tasty smoked duck.
Another thing that gets swallowed whole are gophers. The egrets come up from fishing and go out in the fields. When they see a gopher move they stab it and toss it in the air and gulp it down.

I have a several hundred year old oak in my back yard. I had it heavily pruned back because it started to grow over my roof. The thing used to put out so many acorns. The squirrels went nuts. This year it's about half as many.

 

[DaveMatthews]

The squirrels went nuts.

Sounds about right...

 

[PedalUma]

People would eat acorns here. It took a leaching process to get rid of the tannins. It is sort of like making olives. Squirrels bury nuts yet have imperfect memories. That plants more trees to help their great grandchildren. Did you know that squirrels eat baby birds? Tons. The best dog toy ever was a squirrel tail, attached to an oak stick.