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| Today in the arboretum, a double-handful of acorns was found under one of the two elder swamp white oaks (Quercus michauxii). Thus far, the swamp white oaks have not been included in 2022 Acorn Watch, primarily because all of their lower limbs are far out of reach. Luckily, the larger of the two trees grows near a sidewalk; the newly-fallen acorns were noticed very quickly after they accumulated on the concrete. |
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| The swamp white oak under discussion is approximately 30 years old. It is pictured center, growing at the junction of a sidewalk and a gravel path, and near the arboretum drainage channel, which, as shown in the above photo, is thick with Louisiana palmettos. Since the drainage channel is a main watercourse for the arboretum and since palmettos are a water-loving species, we can say that the tree is satisfying the "swamp" conditions of its name. |
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| The lower section of the trunk is pale and bare, with no low-hanging branches. Up past the bifurcation, out of reach, is where all the acorn clusters have been hiding. |
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| Peeling, flaking bark is characteristic of this species and the white oaks generally. |
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| Some acorns are turning brown (which may indicate ripeness) while others are still green. In an older blog post, found here, we see ripe swamp white oak acorns appearing in the leaf litter at the beginning of December. Perhaps these acorns dropped prematurely due to the particularly windy weather we had over the weekend. |
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| These specimens are large, regular, beautiful, well-proportioned acorns. Truly an ideal for what any acorn should aspire to be. |
