Hello folks who secretly wish that some people would use glue sticks instead of chap sticks on their lips,

Life comes full circle, doesn't it? The behavior of babies and very elderly people share some common themes.

  • Both wet their beds
  • Both sleep all day long
  • Both get unpredictable mood swings
  • Both keep falling and hurting themselves
  • Both become fussy about eating
  • Both have to pushed while being seated on a chair on wheels to get around

While bed-wetting is something that babies and younger kids do all the time, once the kid grows into an adult, bedwetting is frowned upon by our society just like asking your parents to share their Netflix password when you turn 50 years old.

One such behavior is depicted by some Live Oak trees although as you will find, they are not responsible for wetting the bed. To find out which live oak tree is wetting the bed below it, look for droplets like these on the pavement, park benches, patio, your parked car or anything unfortunate to be under that live oak tree.


And then, once you find out which tree was responsible, start looking for the origin of this syrup-like liquid that the tree is dripping. On the way you might see some leaves drenched in that brown colored syrup, touch it to check its consistency. Don't worry, no one is judging you, the others are too busy checking their smartphones.


It almost has a honey flavored mucus consistency. As you go higher up the tree, you will find more leaves drenched in this syrup. Stop judging my polish-free nails, I was practicing "No nail polish November" at that time.


And there it is, the culprit or victim depending on whether your personal property was damaged with this brownish fluid or not. It turns out to be an Acorn, an acorn who seems like it is not doing that well.


Compare it with a healthy acorn and you can tell the difference right away. The young brown colored acorn has seen better days while the green colored acorn is living its best life right now.


Your mind starts to race at this point. "Is this an infection that is causing the sap like syrup to ooze out of the brown acorn". "What if it is infected with the latest Covid-19 variant?". "How can I get it tested and ask it to be quarantined from other acorns?". "Is it even vaccinated?". "Gosh, I should have kept my masks on!"

Before you go all crazy and call up all the testing health clinics to schedule a COVID-19 test for this acorn, let me tell you something that might blow your mind. "No, the acorn does not have COVID-19" ."Phew!" you heave a sigh of relief. This acorn is infected, yes, but not due to a virus but a bacteria called "Brenneria quercina" and this disease is called "Drippy Nut Disease" (*high school kids giggle)


This is how it happens. Certain insects that like to lay their eggs inside the acorn, so the young ones can eat the acorn nut meat from inside while being protected from predators. The parent insect first chews a hole in the tough outer shell in order to deposit its eggs.



If you spot a hole drilled into an acorn, you can usually find the baby having a jolly good time devouring the entire acorn from inside. "Oh, hello there buddy!"


"Aw, how cute". But I digress. You see, when the insect chews a small hole in the acorn shell, it leaves the door open for the bacteria to enter the acorn and cause a bacterial reaction inside the acorn. The dripping brown syrup is a result of that.


The infection from these bacteria affects the chances of that particular acorn to successfully germinate in the future but it does not impact the health of the tree on the whole. It is just sad to see some really young acorns getting affected with this infection who will never be able to develop further and you tell yourself "But they never even had the chance to create a TikTok account". Such is life.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Did you learn something new in this post? Let us know in the comments below

Tags

acorns adventure adventures algae alligator american crow ant cricket ants aphids aquatic snails arachnids argentine ants bananas bark beetles barklice barnacles bats beaver bees beetle beetles bird lice birds black-tailed deer bloodworms bristletail bug bugs bumblebee butterflies calicoflower canada goose cardinal carpenter bees carrots caterpillars cave centipede cockroaches common murres coot corvids court case crabs crawfish crayfish cricket crickets crow crustaceans damselflies death deer diatoms dock dragonflies earwigs eggs egrets elephant seals eucalyptus european starlings eyes farallon island ferns fingerprints fishes flea flies floods florida flowers fly freshwater snail frog frogs fundraiser fungus fungus-eating lady beetles galls gannet geckos geese goats goldfinch gophers grasshopper green dock beetle green heron green lacewing guest post gull gulls harvestmen hawks herons hike history honeybees house sparrows india insects isopods jumping bristletails jumping spiders juncos katydid kayak lacewing lady beetles land snails leaf miners leafhopper lice lichens lizard lizards lynx spider maggots Magpie mallow marsh megabats midges mildew millipede mites moles mosquito moths mouse spider nematodes nettles newt newts night nuthatches oaks owl paper wasps parasite part 2 pavement ants pelicans pigeons pill bugs plants pocket gophers pollen pollination pollinators poppy praying mantis pseudopupil pupa quail rabbits rat roach roadkill rove beetles salamander salmon sandpiper scat scorpion Scorpions sea lions sea otters sea urchin seals seeds shorebird shrimp silverfish skunk snails snakes social media solifuges sparrows spider spiders springtails squirrel squirrels starlings stilts stinger sun spiders surf scoter swallows tarantula termites thrips ticks towhees trees turkey turkey vulture turtle venom vernal pool vultures warblers wasps water boatmen webspinners whales wildflower wolf spider woodpeckers Wren wrens yellow jackets youtube

Featured Post

The case of the missing grasshopper

Hello folks who wonder if crime does not pay well at least the benefits are hard to dismiss, This case is about Gregory , a band-winged Gras...