Digital news Report – Was M. Night right? Are we all going to get “happened”? According to scientists, that may just be happening to squirrels and other acorn-dependent animals as oak trees take a rain check on producing acorns this year.
All across the Midwest and Eastern United States, people are finding few, if any, acorns around their oak trees. Scientists are still unsure what is causing this lack of acorns, but some speculate it may be a “rest year” for the trees as they gain back energy lost from the higher than usual number of acorns produced last year. Others speculate it may be due to a hard frost over the spring, disrupting the tree’s natural cycle of production.
Whatever the cause, it has left squirrels, deer, wild turkeys, and other forest animals scrambling for food sources. While forestry experts say that this one season of diminished acorns is not enough to have lasting effects on the oak tree or animal population, it will in the short term cause some animals to forage outside their normal grounds. If this trend continues, however, it could spell disaster for some forest areas. For now, other trees such as hickory and some white oaks are still producing acorns, so these animals should still have enough food to get by.
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