Acorns on the ground at the Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva. Oak trees are producing large numbers of acorns this year. (Jeff Knox | Staff Photographer)
By Mick Zawislak | Daily Herald
It’s not your imagination. Oak trees are producing huge numbers of acorns that are crunching underfoot and snapping like popcorn when driven over.
Stand under an oak tree for awhile and you may get bonked as an unpredictable fall phenomenon continues.
The bumper crop is called a “mast” — when oak trees periodically produce more acorns than can be eaten by squirrels, mice, chipmunks and other critters.
Welcome to October, designated in 2015 as OAKtober: Oak Awareness Month in Illinois.
The term “masting” originated centuries ago and refers to nuts of forest trees, such as acorns, accumulated on the ground.
Experts say mast year triggers are not well understood but the occurrence generally is accepted as nature’s way of ensuring oaks will carry on.
“It’s just a reproductive strategy of trees. Oaks are having a moment,” said Jessica Turner-Skoff, science communication leader at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.
Many animals eat acorns and several hoard or cache them, dispersing them across the landscape, explained Matt Ueltzen, manager of restoration ecology for the Lake County Forest Preserve District.
Read more here.