What child (poet, artist, naturalist) is not fascinated by the acorn?
On Neversink Mountain we stopped to compare the nuts of the Oak trees. This acorn is probably from an Oak in the White Oak group (leaves with rounded lobes) because the cap or cupule extends halfway down the kernel. I call this cap the Tam O'Shanter. Acorns from White Oaks usually mature and drop within months and are sweet to eat. This may be a nut from the Chestnut Oak.
Acorns in the Red Oak group (leaves with pointed lobes) mature slowly taking up to two years before they fall, contain high levels of tannin, and are bitter to the tongue. The cap or cupule sits high on the kernel and I call this one the Yamaka. This may be an acorn from a Red Oak.
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