Hickory nuts falling of trees....squirrels don’t seem worried!

[Randall53]

I’ve moved up on a beautiful mountain and have an acre and a half of yard trees about half acorn and half hickory trees. I’m not sure what caused this, but all the hickory trees began dropping marble sized, not even half grown nuts back in June. Not just a few, but a good bunch of the crop It seemed. Other than that, they look healthy. They stopped for a few weeks now but they’re dropping nuts again, but a bit bigger this time. Maybe the cool or wet spring. I would say poor squirrels, but their so fat they can barely climb up on my bird feeders....

[bersaguy]

Trees are of course part of nature and nature will sometimes do things we don't understand but I had a similar issue back where I use to live with acorns. In mid summer the oak trees began dropping half grown acorns and I got concerned because I have a lot of squirrels that depended on them for food. I began asking a few people I had heard could give me my answers. I was told that the trees that have more nuts on them than they can provide water for will shed enough to be able to still have a healthy abundance in the Fall. Turns out they were correct and come Fall when the leaves began to fall the Trees were still full of acorns. I would imagine the Hickory Trees are probably doing the same thing. Hope so anyway!

[gregintenn]

Wind? Dry weather?

[Randall53]

4 hours ago, gregintenn said:

Wind? Dry weather?

Could be. I thought it wasn’t normal. Didn’t happen last year as I remember.

[bersaguy]

14 hours ago, Randall53 said:

Could be. I thought it wasn’t normal. Didn’t happen last year as I remember.

In Nature things change according to what is happening at that point in time and Mother Nature does what she needs to do to make things work right. May have been something different last year that is different this year....JMHO

[Randall53]

Yep. Very true.

[jhc77]

I’ve got a mockernut hickory that’s been dropping for a couple weeks. Didn’t have any on the tree at all last year. Seems the last time was 3 years ago and squirrels stripped it clean in the fall. 

[Quavodus]

I've not checked any Hickorys around here yet but, I'm going to. 

[Dirtshooter]

There is a hickory on the property line and it has dropped several immature nuts. Go figure, so Greg you can come pick them up if the squirrels and mice don't get them all!!