If you’ve stepped outside during a breeze lately, you’ve probably heard the sound of acorns falling. That woodsy autumn sound as they drop through the leaves, strike branches, and fall with a thud to the ground is a clear sign of the changing seasons. And this season, there are a lot of acorns falling across the region.
Local oak trees have produced these small green and brown head bruisers in large numbers this year, but why?
An old wives’ tale says lots of acorns foretell a harsh winter ahead. The thinking is that, during a harsh winter, fewer acorns will survive to sprout in the spring, so the trees over-produce to compensate.
But that isn’t why oak trees are producing copious amounts of acorns this year. Acorns are far better tellers of the past than the future.
Last winter, North Georgia saw a very mild, calm winter. With the exception of the extreme cold outbreak around Christmas, we saw no significant frozen precipitation, and temperatures were largely warmer than average. Thanks to this, the oak trees were able to produce leaves a little earlier and thus produce acorns earlier, as well. Since the oak trees had more time, they made more acorns!
Soon these oak trees will change colors and drop not only their seeds but also their leaves.
Current long-range weather forecasting indicates a colder and wetter than average winter. So, while the weather and the science behind it explain this year’s bumper acorn crop, you can never completely dismiss a good old wives’ tale.
