Two years ago, (2007) there were more acorns then I have ever seen on the ground. It was a bombardment from the oaks around us. Last year, no acorns, or next to no acorns, fell. This was a strange juxtaposition. The forest seemed to be preparing for the lean year by the overabundant year. This was not simply a local phenomenon either; I read that it was across the east coast in the New York Times.
I’ve started to see the early acorns falling already this year. I guess I should expect a moderate year after the past two, but who can say? I wonder what’s going on and if it is tied at all to the other weird things going on in the world, such as the honeybee die-off and the bat virus on the east coast? I’ve seen a few bees this summer, but not many. All I seem to see are hornets, wasps and bumblebees. The small honeybees just aren’t around much.