Explore Outdoors ~ the last acorn

 

While walking around a park in Salt Lake City a couple weeks ago, I noticed all the scrubby oaks had empty acorn caps attached at the ends of the twigs. It makes sense - jays and other animals would have snacked on the yummy nuts all winter.

 

But why did the acorns fall without their caps on?

 

 

The oaks are getting ready for spring, even as this particular tree holds onto a few leaves and this one last acorn.

 

 

 

This week as you walk around your neighborhood, look at the trees. Are any of them still holding tight to last year's leaves or nuts?  

Going nuts for books about acorns and their trees

Themes: trees, growth, nature … and, of course, acorns!

Back in 2020, author Barbara Ciletti and illustrator Cathy Morrison teamed up on The Tiny Giant, a story about how tiny acorns grow into mighty oaks. Now they’ve got a board book coming out in a couple weeks – with text beautifully revised to perfectly suit this new format. 

The Tiniest Giant (board book)

by Barbara Ciletti; illus. by Cathy Morrison 

20 pages; ages baby-3 years

‎Schiffer Kids, 2025 

Greatness begins in the tiniest places.

It always amazes me that seeds contain within them entire plants. I mean … pumpkins! And trees! This summer I watched acorns form on the oak shading our driveway and they start of so small – just a bunch of buttons hanging onto a twig. And I ask the same thing Barbara does in her book, “Is there a tree inside?”

What I like about this book: I like how the simple, yet not simplistic, text works with the illustrations to show the seasons of an oak tree’s life. The acorns ripen, and then “Seeds drop.” Simple language, right? But using the word “seed” for acorn helps build the expectation of future growth. Illustrations show the acorn sinking beneath the snow and, in the spring, germinating into a sturdy seedling. 

Oh, and do you notice anything about this first spread? If you said "book turn," you're right. You have to turn the book so you get this nice verticality of the tall, tall oak tree. Review copy provided by the publisher.

 

Mighty: The Story of an Oak Tree Ecosystem 

by Henry Cole 

48 pages; ages 4-8

‎Peachtree, 2025 

Sometimes things happen by chance. A blue jay drops an acorn, and a tree’s life begins.

With luck, and enough sunlight and rain, that acorn germinates and grows into a seedling. A year later it has become a sapling. Over the years, the tree grows taller and provides nesting spots for birds. The leaves provide food for caterpillars which, in turn, provide food for songbirds. When they die and fall to earth, the leaves provide food for worms and other decomposers. Over time, people move into the area and what was once a forest becomes a town. Still the oak thrives.

What I like about this book: It seems such a simple thing, an acorn growing into an oak. But as the tree grows and ages, Henry Cole’s detailed black-and-white illustrations show the important role it plays in the ecological community around it. I like that Cole provides information visually, for those who want to look more carefully at details. At the back, he shows how to build an ecosystem in four easy steps. Cole writes and draws with the authority of someone who has studied trees and forests. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Looking for some fun fall read-alouds? Here are a couple more acorn-related stories that I found at my library:  

Acorn Was a Little Wild 

by Jen Arena; illustrated by Jessica Gibson 

‎Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022

Imagine an acorn – the first of his generation – leaping from the tree and heading off for a wild adventure. There are ferocious animals! Raging streams! Dark places…. but eventually, like every wild child, acorn puts down roots.

The Nut That Fell from the Tree 

by Sangeeta Bhadra; illustrated by France Cormier 

Kids Can Press, 2020

You can tell from the title that this is a cumulative tale infused with the rhythm and rhyme of the House that Jack Built. It begins with a treehouse where Jill plays … a tiny house tucked into the branches of an oak, from which an acorn drops and – I’m going to let you imagine the possibilities, but seriously, check it out and read it because it’s plain fun.

Beyond the Books:

Make some handprint acorns. Even one-year-olds will get into painting their hands and making a print! Here's how. 

Use mini-cookies and chocolate kisses to make edible acorns (this recipe uses peanut butter cookies – but for those of us with allergies we can find non-peanut alternatives!)

For older people: make a whistle using an acorn cap. I have yet to master this! Here's how.

Plant an acorn (or two or three) in a pot and leave it outside or on an unheated porch all winter. You might get a baby oak sprouting in the spring!

Get to know an oak tree. Collect some leaves and make some leaf prints. Do bark rubbing. Lay down underneath it and look up – what do you notice?

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher. Picture books from my local library.

How To Plant a Forest

The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest 

by Lynn Street; illus. by Anne Hunter 

48 pages; ages 4-8

‎Peachtree/Margaret Quinlin Books, 2025

theme: ecology, autumn, birds

How does the mighty oak create more oak trees? By making acorns.

But here’s the thing about acorns: they are heavy! (I know this because I’ve had a few fall on my head.) They are too heavy to blow on the breeze, so they plunk right down to the ground. Right under the tree. Here’s another thing about acorns: they need sun and water and room to grow. And how can they get that if they’re laying on the ground in the shade with all the other acorns? Well, if they’re from the white oaks next to my house they get picked up and moved by squirrels and birds, carried away, and buried in the ground. 

And sometimes those acorns get forgotten and they sprout into tiny oak seedlings (I know this because I’ve had more than a few grow in my vegetable patch!). 

In luscious, lyrical language, author Lynn Street pulls readers into the acorn-caching behavior of blue jays who hide their treasure – like pirates! “With their beaks, the jays tap, tap, tap the acorns into soft ground…” she writes. The jays have to move fast, because there’s competition. Squirrels, turkeys, mice, chipmunks, deer … they are gathering up acorns too.

What I like about this book: I mentioned the language. Here’s what I mean: “Back and forth— flashes of sapphire in the sun— blue white, blue white.” Even without an illustration you can picture this blue jay flapping across the sky. I like that Lynn takes us through an entire year: winter when jays dig up the acorns to eat, spring when they feed their nestlings bugs (because acorns are too big for babies…),  and fall, when the young jays join the “blue crew” and help their parents collect acorns for the winter. I like the back matter, too! More information about oak trees and jays, and how human interaction has changed the nature of oak forests. There’s also a great list of books for further reading and some websites to visit.

Lynn’s inspiration for this book came from a photo of a blue jay carrying an acorn. In addition to researching books and articles about blue jays and oaks, she spent lots of time watching jays. So I had to ask her A Couple Questions:

Me: What cool insights have you gained from the jays visiting your backyard? (ours are raucous thieves!)

Lynn: I watched blue jays in my backyard as they interacted with a pin oak just over the fence. From a second story window, I was able to see into the oak’s canopy as jays pried acorns from the tree. Over several fall seasons, I spotted more and more of this acorn gathering in real time.

I noticed, too, where the peanuts from my bird feeder were being hidden. One jay buried a peanut under leaf litter. Another time I spotted a jay leaving a peanut in the rain gutter of my neighbor’s house. I also watched a blue jay pull an acorn out from between flagstones on my patio.

Me: Jays are related to crows, and crows are pretty smart birds. How do jays exhibit their corvid intelligence?

Lynn: Blue jays are part of the corvid family, which includes crows, magpies, nutcrackers, and ravens. Blue jays are very intelligent. They have an amazing spatial memory, which helps them locate thousands of buried acorns. The blue jay that dug up an acorn from my patio knew exactly where it was hidden. It landed, plucked it out, and was flying again a few seconds later. 

Blue jays are also great mimics. Their calls can sound like a hawk, or a squeaky gate. The hawk call may alert other jays to predators nearby or trick other birds into thinking a hawk is present. I hear the hawk call often, and the jays always fool me. I look outside when I hear it, but each time it’s a blue jay perching in a nearby tree. Only one time was it a hawk circling high above my street.

In captivity—but not in the wild—blue jays have been observed using tools to rake food into their cages.

The black markings on their faces and throats (called a bridle or necklace) vary and may help the jays to tell each other apart. Do you think you can tell the blue jays at your feeder apart?
 

Beyond the Books:

Watch some blue jays this fall.  Draw a picture of what your jays look like – and make sure to note the markings on their faces and throats.

This one comes from Lynn: Watch your jay’s behavior. Is the bird eating? Is it hiding food or plucking an already buried acorn out of the ground? Blue jays move quickly, so pay close attention!

Do you have oak trees in your neighborhood? If so, get to know them. Draw a map of where the oak trees are growing. 

In the spring, look for oak sprouts. You might find one in your yard or neighbor’s garden. If it’s “in the way” ask if you can dig it up. Then put it in a pot and watch it grow,

Lynn is a member of #STEAMTeam2025. You can find out more about her at her website, lynnstreetbooks.com 

We’ll join Perfect Picture Book Friday once they resume. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Fooling around with Acorn Caps

I am finding all sorts of things in the yard: bark bits covered with lichen, pine cones, and lots of acorn caps left behind when squirrels took off with the nuts. They may look like nature's debris to us, but did you know that acorn caps make the perfect hats for finger puppets? Or dishes for clothespin dolls?

 Acorn caps also make fantastic fairy castles. Balance one on top of the other and ~ voila!

Or make a Bug Village. Directions here.

Paint numbers on them, put in a cup, give a shake, and pour 'em out to create a game. What are the rules? Not to worry, you'll make 'em up as you go.

If you've got ends of candles, melt the wax and fill up the acorn caps - add a short wick to each - and you've got tiny candle boats.

And if things are too quiet, try making an acorn cap into a whistle. Directions here.(full disclosure: I have yet to get my acorn caps to whistle)

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ A Field Trip for Nuts!

This is the season to find all kinds of nuts: acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, beech nuts. The black walnuts are falling, now, on the road. They're huge, green balls nearly the size of tennis balls, though they tend to break apart if you kick them too hard. Finding hickory nuts is always a race with the squirrels and birds.

Go out an look for some nuts. Draw pictures of what you find (or take photos). Sit quietly and notice what animals come to investigate the nuts.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday