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November 30, 2008
Have you seen any acorns?
Has any one else noticed that there are no acorns? We live in Carroll Gardens and I remember last fall you would get pelted with an acorn when you walked near certian trees and you would hear them patter as they hit parked cars all day. And I just came a across an AP article sounding the alarm. Has anyone seen any acorns in Brooklyn? I haven't. And we now have a squirrel issue where they are burrowing in a hole in a deck and eating through drywall. Poor things are starved.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27977375/
Comments
I hosted a squirrel in my duplex for two days last march, 1,000 dollars of damage per day. $2,000 dollars for one darling little rodent. He destroyed 5 sets of custom wood blinds, chewed the edges of my window frames, pooped and peed with abandon and to add insult to injury (though I have to say I was impressed....) he got into the pantry found some wrapped chocolate bars, preferring the comfort of my white couches, took them upstairs to the living room, opened them and ate them while lounging on the couch. He then left chocolate squirrel prints over all the white upholstery and dirt where he was apparantly lolling aroung.
Having finished off the wooden blinds, he then chewed through my original shutters. Thank God, Guido of Bravo Exterminating helped me get him in a trap and drove him to someplace near the Brooklyn Navy Yard (so Guido says, believe me I don't care where he took him) leaving me with a 2nd renovation. So, while it is a mystery that there are no acorns, I am sure that these guys will figure it out. Don't waste your compassion.
Posted by: donatella at November 30, 2008 11:27 AM
Diversion feeding outside in the backyard may keep the squirrels from entering your houses. We get a mix from Duncraft for squirrels as well as birds, and put it on a platform feeder in the backyard. It doesn't work in every case but in our yard the squirrels have left our flower bulbs and tomatoes alone so diversion feeding has worked for us so far. Plus we get the Bluejays and Cardinals with the platform feeder. They prefer a platform.
Posted by: traditionalmod at November 30, 2008 12:08 PM
Great article in today's Washington Post on the acorn mystery. It's nation-wide - they are GONE. Google the following and follow the link to the piece:
Acorn Watchers Wonder What Happened to Crop
By Brigid Schulte
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 30, 2008; A01
Posted by: parkslopemom at November 30, 2008 1:03 PM
Hmmm--plenty of acorns in the large oak tree in my rear neighbor's back yard. Also, the smaller oak tree that I let grow in my garden, starting about 15 years ago, because an acorn sprouted in a good spot, has started to produce acorns as well.
I have lots of seemingly happy squirrels.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at November 30, 2008 1:20 PM
I believe oak trees produce different quantities of acorns each year, including none, depending on the weather earlier in the year.
Posted by: kk634000 at November 30, 2008 1:51 PM
Plenty of acorns dropping at my wkend house upstate. More than last year.
Posted by: Petebklyn at November 30, 2008 2:16 PM
I have it on good authority that this year's dearth of acorns is directly attributable to a little known Star Wars initiative. Apparently capitalizing on the real and perceived threats of Dutch Elm Disease and the more recent encroachment of Sudden Oak Death, the current administration issued an ultimatum to the tree population of the elitist Eastern seaboard: your Acorns or your Bazzinis. Most opted to save their Bazzinis (who wouldn't?), though a few older and wiser saplings like the one in Bob Marvin's backyard stood their ground (so to speak). Only Bob can say whether this is a case of a tree taking after it's master. The recent crop of acorn recruits have already been tested as effective against our own unarmored vehicles. Consequently, they have been deemed an adequate small-arms response to insurgent IED's (see: http://ivaw.org/node/4571 ).
A less reasonable explanation is one familiar to all gardeners: plants grow and die on their own schedule, not ours. It seems that red and white oaks—for factors equivalent to many human motivations—need to take a break every so often. For additional information, see:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/quercus/alba.htm
http://plants.usda.gov/
http://www.hastingsreserve.org/OakStory/Acorns2.html
Eastern Gray squirrels are tree squirrels, not ground critters. They dig to bury or recover caches, but do not normally burrow (unless maybe rabid). I'll vouch from personal experience that they'll chew through anything and everything in an attempt to get out of a home where they've become trapped.
Posted by: vinca at November 30, 2008 2:57 PM
After having to sweep up the thousands of acorns from the oak tree in front of our house in Pk Sope this fall I can definitively say there is no acorn shortage.
Posted by: kwar228 at November 30, 2008 7:44 PM
This should be sent to Neediest Cases in the NYT. Tis' the season. I used to throw a bag or two of chesnuts for them in the backyard at Xmas time.
Posted by: pattunia at December 1, 2008 2:41 AM
I had plenty of acorns from the neighbor's tree. Couldn't tell you if there were less than last year but probably since I thought last year was a bumper crop. Don't worry about the squirrels. There's enough garbage in NYC to keep them going. They are pretty resourceful.
Posted by: kensington gal at December 1, 2008 11:11 AM
Funny that this year I've noticed them more than any other year; acorns dropping like flies and laying all over the sidewalks. The crops are bountiful in bay ridge.
Posted by: cornetor at December 1, 2008 11:34 AM
my block in south bushwick is lined with oaks, acorn levels seem to be normal, tho maybe less than usual. local squirrels still prefer pizza crusts.
Posted by: Jimmy Legs at December 1, 2008 1:12 PM
I put out corn logs for the squirrels to keep them off my bird feeders. They're highly compressed & need work for squirrels to eat but they've been working quite well for last 3 years. You can order them on line cheaper than HD or Lowe's (who often don't have them anyway.)
nottawawildbirdsupply.com/
Posted by: Arkady at December 1, 2008 4:22 PM
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