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| Our tree of the week is a 30-year-old burr oak (Quercus macrocarpa). This young, tall oak tree currently serves as a shade tree for one of our gravel paths. Although most of its branches are out of reach, one dips down, if you are standing on the path, to about eye-level. This week we spotted developing acorns. |
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| Can you see the small, light-green, textured acorn caps? They are not showy, making very little impression against the rich green foliage. |
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| In recent years, this tree hasn't produced many acorns, so it was surprising to see several clusters of developing fruits. Of course, thirty is young for oak trees, and the years of high fruit production lay far into the future. |
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| Burr oak acorns mature within a single year, so we expect these little acorns to ripen and drop during September, just a few months away! We will have to monitor this cluster and see how many are knocked off, eaten, or jettisoned by the oak to conserve resources. |
