White oak acornWhite oak acornFrom blogger Mary Nemecek:

Does it seem like a bumper crop of acorns this year? It may be -- but part of the seeming acorn abundance may be a result of comparing this years acorn numbers to the previous two years, when acorn production was roughly half of what it should have been. Here’s why:

Acorns are produced by oak trees. Oak trees are divided into 2 groups-- red oaks and white oaks. The differences in the two groups come from the microscopic structure of the wood, the leaves and the acorns-- especially how long it takes acorns to reach maturity. The two groups are, in most cases, discernible by looking at the leaves. Red oak leaves have bristled lobes or the leaf terminates in a bristle. Bristle is another way to say pointed-- red oaks have pointy tips to their leaves. Examples of red oaks found in Missouri are pin oak, northern red oak, scarlet oak, shumard oak, shingle and blackjack oak. White oaks on the other hand have rounded tips to the lobes or ends of their leaves. Examples of white oaks found in Missouri are bur oak, chinkapin oak, post oak, swamp chestnut oak and white oak.

When it comes to acorn production white oak acorns typically mature in a single growing season and are sweet. On the other hand, red oak acorns take two growing seasons to mature and have a bitter taste. Now, for the explanation of the decreased acorn production from the previous two years. Remember the late April freeze in 2007? That late freeze killed the red oak acorn crop that would have matured in 2008, making 2008 the worst year on record in Missouri for red oak acorns. So last year’s acorns in this area were primarily or only from white oaks. The department of conservation began a yearly acorn survey in 1960. 2008’s crop was 49% below the average over the span of the survey. However, the total acorn production in the 2008 survey was 17% above the previous year. Does this sound peculiar? The late freeze killed all the acorn blooms that in 2007. So in 2007 acorns were primarily from the red oaks, that were maturing from the 2006 season. So in 2007 we only had red oak acorns and in 2008 we only had white oak acorns. For the first time in 3 years, this year, we will have a red oak and a white oak acorn crop.

Acorns are a valuable food source to wildlife such as deer, squirrels and wild turkeys.