When I was a kid, we often walked through Bethlehem searching for horse chestnuts. My aunt (my age) and I were captivated with these nuts. Once the prickly exterior of the seed was cracked, a hard nut with an almost silky surface that was shiny was revealed. We thought they were treasure.
Last year while we walked at the park, two women stopped us and asked if we knew what kind of tree produced the pinecones near the path.
They had never seen such small pinecones and were collecting them to take home. I wasn't sure which pine tree produced the cones but I thought that the size had more to do with the drought than the species.
This year, I am fascinated by acrons. The acorns at the park are normal size but only 2 blocks away near my mothers, the acorns are tiny.
It's much more dry near my mother's home than at the park. We are not "officially" in a drought but all the gardeners in the area will tell you the gardens are suffering. The tiny acorns are falling before they have a chance to mature; most of the nut is green when they fall.
How are things where you are? Are you finding anything fascinating ourside this fall?
Have a safe and happy day!
Hemlocks have tiny pinecones. Perhaps those were the trees in the park. I wonder if the acorns are from the same variety of oak, red or white. The large acorn in your picture looks like white oak. The others are tiny, undeveloped. Perhaps they are red oak and that's the difference? In any event, this summer was a bummer for gardens here in the supposedly Garden State. Very hot and dry after a very wet spring. Will try again next year.
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