acorns & nuts

Overcast, mild, light winds, touch of fog. In short, a quiet Sunday morning. So quiet that even the usually vocal Carolina Wrens are silent. The daily visit from the Wild Turkeys is now down to four -- one slightly larger hen and three almost full-grown poults. Acorns are the big item now. They are taken by Blue Jays, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Gray Squirrels. Hickory nuts are also all over the place and, in one or two areas, big Black Walnut nuts are raining down. The loudest noise is an acorn or nut falling on a roof top. The Hickory nuts are too big for the Jays but the Squirrels are busy nibbling off the outside shield to get to the nut itself and the meat inside. They will use the nuts and the acorns for winter storage. I don't think anything takes the huge round Black Walnuts. I used to try to get at the delicious walnut meat inside by putting the nuts in a vise and hammering though the green and messy black exterior to crack the core inside. Once upon a time we made Pecan Pie with Black Walnuts but I could never avoid getting lots of shell mixed in and I finally gave up. Autumn color is passing its peak. The brightest colors belong largely to wetland plants -- especially Tupelo but also Red Maple (or what's left of it after Sandy), High-bush Blueberry and Poison Ivy (!). Also the introduced Norway Maple (Sugar Maples, which are the glory of the New England fall are great rarities here). Eric Salzman