Posted on 12/14/2008 10:54:49 PM PST by neverdem
(CNN) -- Up and down the East Coast, residents and naturalists alike have been scratching their heads this autumn over a simple question: Where are all the acorns?
Oak trees have shed their leaves, but the usual carpet of acorns is not crunching underfoot.
In far-flung pockets of northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and other states, scientists have found no acorns whatsoever.
"I can't think of any other year like this," said Alonso Abugattas, director of the Long Branch Nature Center in Arlington, Virginia.
Louise Garris, who lives in the Oakcrest neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, first noticed the mysterious phenomenon early this fall when doing yardwork beneath a canopy of large oak trees.
"I have lived in the area my entire life and have never not seen any acorns!" she said. Garris checked with some local plant nurseries and they confirmed her observation.
The mystery has found its way to the Internet, where a "No acorns this year" discussion on Topix.com yielded more than 180 comments from people reporting acorn disappearances as far away as Connecticut and North Carolina.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?" posted a resident of Maplewood, New Jersey. "Now we are finding dead squirrels! SHOULD WE ALL BE CONCERNED?"
Not necessarily, naturalists say. Last year Garris reported a bumper crop of acorns, which scientists say may be one clue to this year's scarcity. Virginia extension agent Adam Downing...
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Good for the little destructive b______d's. Sweet revenge.... Prob. the only good thing to come from Hurricane Rita and Ike was the shortage of these rats that only get a pass because of the bushy tales. Good riddance
That’d be tails....:)
Curious... After a bumper and I mean BUMPER crop last year (I’m in Northwest Virginia), I’ve seen virtually none this year. Change I guess I’ll have to believe in.
You hoarding nuts again?
They're in Ohio, voting early and often.
Definitely a criminal thief looking squirrel.
Good find! LOL!
Gosh, there were a lot of states that saw ACORN increases this past November......
Check D.C. on Jan. 20. All the nuts will be there.
We had a lot knocked down early due to the late hurricane. Acorns were immature when they fell at that time. What we did get was a bumper crop of baby squirrels in rehab! Good golly...they decided to over-winter the little devils.
Add onto that note, it seemed to me a backyard naturalist that the little furry critters had 3 broods this summer. Which meant things were healthy out there for them, but their over population is what stressed the system. Same with the raccoons in the area, it seemed they had an extra late season brood.
You know, Albert Einstein said that if the acorns ever disappeared, mankind would follow within 4 years.
They haven’t looked @ the oak tree in my yard. I would pay someone to get rid of all of the acorns before they sprout babies in my flower beds this spring.
“Some scientists fear the shortage will affect squirrel populations”
Not to worry. The Squirrels in Washington will create an Acorn Tax and, all will be well.
acorn shortage???? try walking around my property in northern michigan...this is the third year of bumper crop numbers of acorns here..
Shortage????
We live in the North East. Our property has about 5 acres of mostly oak with some hickory and cherry. The oak and hickory are loaded this year.
Is this another 'chicken little' story.
Actually, Native Americans made a meal out of them. They are bitter but they had a way to make them edible.
They also eat the seeds of wild cherry trees.
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