This is the hazelnut tree I sometimes use as a bike rack, and
wrote about back in February, discussing the male and female catkins. I remarked that I should keep an eye on the small, female catkins, to watch for the nuts to develop. And then I forgot all about them.
Until yesterday, when as I walked past the tree, the ground crunched underfoot. Nuts! A squirrel was working through the branches above, nipping off and dropping the hazelnut clusters. As I covered in the February post, although pollination occurred back then, fertilization did not occur until recently (in June). In these past few weeks the nuts have developed quickly.
Many unripe examples remain on the tree. I wonder if any will ripen completely before the squirrels remove them all.
This is the hazelnut tree I sometimes use as a bike rack, and wrote about back in February, discussing the male and female catkins. I remarked that I should keep an eye on the small, female catkins, to watch for the nuts to develop. And then I forgot all about them.
Until yesterday, when as I walked past the tree, the ground crunched underfoot. Nuts! A squirrel was working through the branches above, nipping off and dropping the hazelnut clusters. As I covered in the February post, although pollination occurred back then, fertilization did not occur until recently (in June). In these past few weeks the nuts have developed quickly.
Many unripe examples remain on the tree. I wonder if any will ripen completely before the squirrels remove them all.
1 comment:
Very interesting. This will make for great reading as part of the 38th Festival of The Trees that i am hosting on August 1st.. Do swing by and take a look!
arati
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