ECONNECTION
Acorns
by Karen Dusek

Fall is my favorite time of year, and acorns are one of the things I like best about fall. When I was a child playing at woodswoman in the forests and swamps of southeastern Massachusetts with my sister and cousins, acorns were a mainstay of our fake diet. We pounded them with rocks or served them whole to one another on leaf and bark plates, unaware that we were following somewhat in the footsteps of some native peoples who truly had relied on the bitter nuts for their survival. (A single taste of a raw acorn kernel was enough to convince me that I should stick to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in real life.)

When I outgrew my childhood play, I continued to collect acorns, being careful, as my mother constantly reminded me, to "leave enough for the birds and squirrels." They were just the right size to pop into a pocket and were a perfect addition to the many craft projects I was always working on. I was charmed by their many different shapes and sizes and by the texture of their caps. Since I didn't consider a capless acorn worth picking up, I sometimes spent more time than I like to think about searching for empty caps that were just the right fit.

I also grew up believing the popular old wives' tale that the number of acorns on the ground was an indication of how bad the upcoming winter would be. Better make sure you had plenty of oil in the tank and a good pair of longjohns if it was a bumper crop! (If I had been more observant, I probably would have noticed that oak trees usually produce larger than normal crops once every few years, cold winter or not. But, it probably wouldn't have mattered since, even though I know better, I still check out the acorns every fall to see what the winter will bring.)

I am not the only one who revels in a "mast" crop of acorns. For many bird and mammal species, as well as numerous insects, in the midwestern and eastern states, acorns are the primary source of food. Animals that eat acorns include black bears, raccoons, quail, wild turkeys, white-footed mice and of course, fox and gray squirrels.

The beneficial relationship between animal and oak tree is not one-sided in the case of jays and tree squirrels, which both store acorns for the winter. Fox and gray squirrels prefer red oak acorns, which contain more fat than white oak acorns but which are also more bitter due to higher levels of tannins.

Oak trees are divided into two types - red and white. The leaves of red oaks have pointed lobes and the acorns take two years to mature. When they drop, the acorns remain dormant until spring, at which time they sprout. White oak leaves have rounded lobes and their acorns mature in one year. White oak acorns sprout as soon as they fall to the ground in the fall. As the tap root grows, it depletes the nut's energy and makes the nut unappetizing to squirrels. The white oak acorns that aren't immediately eaten, therefore, sprout in an area close to the parent tree.

According to an article by Les Line in the October/November 1999 issue of National Wildlife, tree squirrels gather red oak acorns one at a time, eating some immediately, but storing others for the winter using a method known as "scatter hoarding," that is, burying them individually here and there to try to prevent other animals from stealing them. Usually, their hiding places are within a 50-yard radius of the parent tree, but they may extend further out. They depend on their memory and their highly developed sense of smell to find the cache in the winter, even if it is buried in snow. Jays also collect acorns one at a time, but they prefer to stash them far away from the parent tree, sometimes flying as far as a mile before stopping to pound their find into the earth.

During years of normal acorn production, most of the acorns that have been stashed will be eaten. During mast years, however, more are hoarded than can be eaten, leaving acorns in the earth to sprout in the spring. (According to the Hastings Reserve Web site, an oak forest can yield about 700 pounds of acorns during a mast year. One large established oak can produce as many as 15,000 acorns.) Scientists theorize that oak trees have adapted to use as a food source by alternating a highly productive year with several less productive years. If every year was a banner year for acorns, they note, animal populations would increase to a level that could not be supported by the trees. Throwing in a few bad years maintains a natural balance.

Line also points out two interesting connections between acorn crops and defoliation by gypsy moths and acorn crops and Lyme disease. White-footed mice consider both acorns and gypsy moth larvae to be mmmmm-good. When there are a lot of acorns, white-footed mouse populations increase, which means there are more mice also eating gypsy moth larvae and fewer larvae munching on tree leaves. There are also more deer, since one of their favorite foods is acorns, which, in turn, mean more deer ticks, some of which carry Lyme disease, and, at the same time, more mice to act as hosts for the young ticks, which then spread the disease to humans. These relationships give new meaning to the phrase "all things are connected."

Acorns have been used by humans for food, as well, although their high tannin content makes them impossible to eat without first leaching them thoroughly by repeatedly pouring boiling water over them or placing them in boiling water and changing the water whenever it becomes discolored. In his book Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons shares his recipes for Acorn Glace (sugar coated acorns), acorn bread and acorn griddle cakes. Every fall I think I will try making flour with my acorn collection, but the acrid taste of that raw acorn I sampled as a child is still with me. Besides, I like the way they look in my baskets and jars.

Like other nuts, acorns are a good source of protein, but are also high in fat and carbohydrates. According to Ellen Evert Hopman in her book Tree Medicine Tree Magic, they are composed of 6.3 percent water, 5.2 percent protein, 43 percent fat and 45 percent carbohydrate - a higher percentage of protein, of course, if you happen to find some that insect larvae found first. If the thought of eating them doesn't tickle your tastebuds, you can always use them to cure your ills. Two homeopathic medicines made from acorns are used in the treatment of a variety of illnesses from alcoholism to bad breath to gout.

As if that weren't enough, Hopman tells us, the little seeds of the mighty oak, which are "symbols of immortality and the continuity of life", are also "powerful magical tools," that can be "placed in a window to ward off lightning, carried to prevent illness and pain, and worn as talismans of fertility, immortality and longevity." And don't forget to "plant one in the dark of the moon to induce financial prosperity."

As an aside, pigs like acorns, too, but keep them away from your cows. If they eat them continuously, they could become chronically ill and eventually die.

Sadly, any of my descendents who are born in the next century may not experience the same enjoyment that I felt as a child making acorn meals or as an adult collecting acorns from different species of oaks. Eastern oak forests are being lost to logging, browsing by deer, gypsy moth damage, drought and forest management practices that followed the Smokey the Bear principles of wildfire suppression. Western oaks, on the other hand, face a relatively new threat - sudden oak death, a disease brought into this country on ornamental rhododendrons and that has already killed tens of thousands of oaks in California and southern Oregon. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, some oak species in Michigan are also highly susceptible to the disease and are being closely watched for symptoms. Oak wilt, red oak borers and oak decline are other diseases and pests that have resulted in a huge loss of oak trees in the eastern United States.

What can you do to combat the decline of oaks and, subsequently, acorns? Be on the lookout for signs of unhealthy trees and report them to the DNR. And, instead of Johnny Appleseed, become a Johnny acorn. Find out what oak species are native to your area and plant an acorn or two.

You may email Karen at karen@lakeshoreguardian.com.