A surplus of acorns attracts all sorts of woodland animals in autumn. Pictured alongside oak leaves, this white oak acorn was painted in watercolor.
A downpour of acorns has fallen from the trees, effectively leaving the ground covered in a spread of oblong marbles. The accumulation of acorns and other nut varieties proves to be a very popular attraction, as evident by the abundant activity that surrounds them.
Squirrels follow the acorns, climbing down from the trees and hopping around in search of one of their favorite foods. They pick up an acorn, inspect it, and then make easy work of the acorn’s hard shell as they crack it open with their teeth to get to the inside. Meanwhile, chipmunks dart around in a hurry. Their cheek pouches expand as they are stuffed with acorns. The nutty bounty is brought back to their burrows where a stash is kept for the winter season, but the chipmunks also make sure to take breaks and munch on a few for the time being.
White-tailed deer stroll through with their heads to the ground, picking up choice acorns of their own. Their ears turn in every direction, taking in all of the audible details of their surroundings and making sure that they are safe as they eat. They pay no mind to the blue jays who set fallen oak leaves aflutter when they land on the ground. Like the chipmunks, the blue jays are caching nuts for later. They swallow whole acorns one after the other, temporarily holding them in their throat for transportation. When maximum capacity is reached, the blue jays carry an additional acorn in their beak as they fly away.
A woodchuck also pays a visit to the acorn-littered area of the woodland floor. With paws full of nuts, the woodchuck stands upright and enthusiastically gobbles them up. Bits of acorn shells and caps go flying. After finishing that serving, the woodchuck continues to amble through the grass and fallen leaves in search of some more, taking care to avoid sprouting or rotting acorns or those that are or have been occupied. Plentiful options allow one to be picky at this time of year.
Acorns that appear to have been left uneaten due to an oversight have likely already been discovered. Every so often, an acorn will house at least one white chubby acorn weevil larva who has been surreptitiously eating the acorn from the inside and will eventually bore through its childhood home. After exiting through a tiny hole in the acorn shell, the grubs will bore some more as they make their way underground.
When planning a meal to be shared by a lengthy guest list, figuring out what food to serve that everyone will enjoy can be a formidable task. In the woods, the food that often is up to that task is the acorn. With a surplus of acorns on the menu during the autumn season, wildlife of all kinds take advantage of this buffet by satiating their current hunger or filling some caches while supplies last. Not after long, the woodland floor that had been covered in nuts becomes a floor covered in slivers of shells, empty caps, and occasional hollow acorns with small holes. The acorns still fall, though, and orange and red leaves soon follow them.