Lovely Green Acorns

The beautiful collages of nature, and more...

Walking along the trail one day this week, I found I was crushing acorns beneath my feet. I looked down and saw a multitude of green acorns and some brown ones below me.

“Acorns served an important role in early human history and were a source of food for many cultures around the world. For instance, the Ancient Greek lower classes and the Japanese (during the Jōmon period) would eat acorns, especially in times of famine. In ancient Iberia, they were a staple food, according to Strabo. Despite this history, acorns rarely form a large part of modern diets and are not currently cultivated on scales approaching that of many other nuts. However, if properly prepared (by selecting high-quality specimens and leaching out the bitter tannins in water), acorn meal can be used in some recipes calling for grain flours. In antiquity, Pliny the Elder noted that acorn flour could be used to make bread.^”

Normally, acorns drop during the fall, and fallen green acorns indicate that the tree is under stress. I’m not sure why oaks are under stress at Cedar Bluffs. It’s been a Goldilocks year for rain. Not too much, and not too little. But what do I know?

Folklore has lots to say about acorns, including this thought.

Lovers would each place an acorn in a bowl of water and if they came together, the lovers would marry; if they floated apart the lovers would soon leave each other for someone else. If the acorn sank it was taken as a portent of death for the person it represented

I’m wondering about the aerodynamic properties of acorns. Is the above how they are designed to fall, points down? To help ensure the reproductive success of the tree? Given that squirrels, jays, and other mammals and birds are the main dispersal agents of acorns, I’m not sure.

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Violet the Dog and I spooked a couple of turkeys in the woods the other day. I saw one fly, turned on the video, and tried to capture what was happening as another flew away. I missed the turkeys, but in this video, you can get a glimpse of what it’s like walking in the woods.

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Above is the pond Saturday morning, and some audio. I am having to go out a little later each morning to catch the light, otherwise, I am walking in the dark. You will hear lots of insects, frogs, and a Cardinal. Birds are beginning to be more subdued.

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I love the above image. Nature’s collage

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Above is a nicely woven spider web on the ground.

And a close-up!

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This is a very nearly perfect photo of a mushroom.

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We have had considerable rain, and the mushrooms have been popping every day. Above are some examples. And that’s it for this week!

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If you are a subscriber and would like to share a photo of something beautiful or wondrous near you, please email me at rdwleonard@gmail.com, and I’ll share it. Thanks!

If you enjoy Cedar Creek Nature Notes, I encourage you to subscribe to my friend Larry Stone’s “Listening to the Land.” It’s fantastic. Larry has forgotten more than I will ever know about our outdoor world.

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