Attack of the Acorns! What Does It Mean?
One sign of the winter to come is an abundance of acorns and squirrel activity. What's happening where you live?
As we wait for the Persimmon Lady’s annual persimmon seed forecast, we like to look at some of the other “signs from nature” to determine what type of winter lies ahead.
Is your tree dropping green acorns? See what it means here!
Sign from Nature: Abundance of Acorns
According to folklore, another popular sign of winter is the abundance of acorns in the fall and the observation of squirrels activity. Five years ago, my lawn was filled with buckets and buckets of acorns and it was only July 8th. Yes, it was a snowy winter that year. This year, I’m hearing reports from friends in New Hampshire that acorns have been dropping like crazy. It was as if Mother nature just let go. When they started to clean up, a hard hat was necessary because they were getting pelted. And, yes, the fat squirrels are loving it.
It doesn’t matter if there are lots of acorns in Maine or New Hampshire; if you live in New York, North Carolina, Minnesota, or elsewhere, it may be a sign for your area. So, what is your acorn situation? We’d love to hear the acorn reports! Tell us in the comments below.
Peter Geiger
Peter Geiger is the Editor of the Farmers' Almanac. Read his full biography.
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Peter Geiger#molongui-disabled-link
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Peter Geiger#molongui-disabled-link
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Peter Geiger#molongui-disabled-link
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Peter Geiger#molongui-disabled-link
We have an abundance of acorns also in Eureka, Mo. I sweep them off the decks and the next day they are covered with them again.
Abundance of acorns in the middle of Iowa, they are dropping now in bushel baskets full. I rake them up and do the same the next day. This has happened before but I don’t remember if it was bad-snowy-cold winter. I pray NOT!!!
SF Bay Area & Coastal California are experiencing a phenomenal Live Oak acorn crop this year. 7th generation California family would equate that to a wet season ahead
We hope that’s true!!
Live in Prescott Az Since middle of July 2022…scrub oaks in my yard dropping thousands of small acorns, a real mess.. More than I have ever witnessed in 30 years that I’ve lived here…have deer, squirrels chipmunks, javelina and NOTHING is eating them
Unbelievable here in Texas! They just keep falling & falling! There’s no point in raking !!!!!!!
The acorn crop is abundant in Mobile, AL
Tons and tons of live oak acorns here in coastal NC. As for the winter I have heard 2 scenarios !
1. that it will definitely be a cold winter
2. that next year not this year will be a brutal winter – reasoning being that the tree is trying to proliferate
cause the tree knows next winter the acorns will freeze.
I’m in central Virginia, acorns were falling like crazy for about 2 weeks. Ground covered. Dogs having to dodge them when going outside. They were falling like rain (no exaggeration) The squirrels are very active. I’ve seen some burying them in the yard too. I’m very curious to see if we are finally going to get a real good Winter.
Austin, Texas. I pruned my Oak tree this year, and have had a bumper crop of acrons. Have never seen this in the three years I have been here.
Mid-Suffolk County, South Shore Long Island NY – hardly any acorns this fall. We have a lot of oak trees and very unusual not to hear and feel them falling down! Did hear of a predictor of harsh winters is have acorns fall while still green.
Live on the coast in S.C…Have lived here 21 years and have never seen so many acorns! Like an earlier person wrote, it is like walking on marbles! There is no let up! Every day there are buckets falling.
Bumper crop!
No Acorns on Eastern Long Island, NY
I’m in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina and my one huge oak tree has produced at least 4 times the amount of acorns than in any of the 14 years I’ve lived here. Walking in my back yard is like walking on ball bearings. It’s extremely slippery where the ground slopes a bit. A hard hat is a necessity. The squirrels are pleasantly plump.
We have more acorns than ever this year at 3000’ Santa Barbara County, California
I live in Massachusetts and we have Hugh size acorns and an abundance of them! I have always heard that this means we will have a very snowy winter. Is this true?
It’s definitely one of the “signs” of a hard winter ahead, according to folklore. Be sure to check out our story here.
We live in Massachusetts and the amount of acorns on the ground is incredible! We are cleaning them up with snow shovels..crazy
Here in New Jersey Acorns everywhere,
More then I’ve seen in a while!
I have been rained on by acorns in Richmond, VA area of both regular oak and pin oak!
Little different here in my area of Michigan. Mostly I’m just finding a lot of acorn caps without the acorn. And if I find a whole acorn, it’s very tiny. Never seen that before.
We live in Southwestern Indiana, and I have been freaked out, at the amount of acorns, from 1 tree. The landscape rock (huge area), they’re stacked, yard is Covered.
Acorns are noticeably bad here in Berlin Maryland
Over taken by acorns. Never seen anything like it. Lived at my place over 20 years.
same in greensboro, nc
Acorns galore, here in Woodstock CT. Walking at Roseland Park , I almost went done, it felt like I was on roller skates.
We have SO MANY acorns here in Georgia. This year is definitely noticeably more than the last couple years. My front yard is a thick blanket, that no matter how many times we scoop up there’s more within an hour. My son was out today scooping them up and he wore his bike helmet!
Here in Manassas, Virginia we have the same. Tons of acorns to the point my husband is afraid he will get his eyes put out if he looks up while doing yard work.
My father, who would have been 100 this year, would have said it was a sign of a hard winter coming. He grew up in the Blue Ridge of Virginia and they lived by nature’s signs.
We shall see!
Hi Paula, yes, our article, “20 Signs of a Hard Winter” includes acorns as a sign. Take a look!
We are calling fall of 2021 the attack of the acorns! Here in Midlothian Va there are so many acorns dropping it’s almost hazardous to be outside!
Annapolis – and our oak tree has dropped a gazillion acorns – last 4 years hardly any – this year I cannot see the ground for the layer of acorns.
Lydia, we’re hearing a lot of that! Could it be a sign of a hard winter ahead? Take a look!
There is also a bumper crop of acorns on the west coast in California. Specifically in Sonoma County where I live. Most fall when they are brown but there are also many green acorns falling. They’re everywhere, so thick it’s hard to walk the trails. The Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue asked county residents to bag them up and bring them so they could feed the four orphaned bearcubs that had just arrived. In just three weeks they posted to stop bringing in acorns as they had more than they could use. I understand it’s called a mast year that happens every 3-5 years and insures the proliferation of oak trees.
mendocino county also many more than normal.
Here in Auburn California as well! The sky is falling! Never seen so many. Been here 41 years.
3x normal acorns. They are hitting my car, My House and Me. They have been dropping for over a month. I haven’t seen a lot of squirrels. ps I live in NY State.
My lawn is a carpet of acorns. It is like a hail of bullets
East Hampton Long Island NY. Had lots of tiny green acorns all summer. Now in fall we are being BOMBARDED with large brown acorns all over the driveway the yard the street. In 35 years of living here I’ve never seen so many acorns!! I just ordered two cords of firewood. I’m a firm believer in watching nature to know what’s coming up!!
Huge green acorns falling here in Maryland, since early August. I’ve never seen so many drop so early.
I live in Gaffney, SC and day and night it’s raining acorns all over my roof, cars, and driveway. I can’t keep up with cleaning them up.
Acorns falling like rain – heavy rain. Filled 5 bags to start. Also have red squirrels cutting off green pine cones and storing. Shoveling them off the driveway 50 at a time.
Yes! And I’m also seeing very mature evergreens that never produced pine cones before are now producing them!!!
The area near our woods is so full of acorns that it is as if it is tiled with them. We are just outside Grand Rapids in Rockford, Michigan. Lots of squirrels
??. L L Hamilton
I’m from New Jersey and In my yard the acorns are massive and are everywhere. I have never seen them this size before
Winters coming!!!!!
Same! It’s disconcerting to hear them plinking on the roof all day and all night. Bigger and louder than ever. Can’t wait for this dropping period to be over.
I live on Cape Cod Massachusetts and we have an abundance of acorns this year. Its crazy trying to walk with sandals on because the acorns somehow get in under my feet. Ouch!!
I live in Corpus Christi texas and our 2 oak trees are also dropping tons of small green acorns all over the yard… I have never in 30 years seen such a large amount of acorns drop as we are seeing now…
San Antonio is the same!
Although ours are not green- all mature, brown
Live in northwest Michigan have twin oaks that have been letting loose of thousands of acorns for past two months, never been like this before in 20 years. Of course branches have gotten bigger over time but holy crap
In southwest Michigan our trees have been dropping like crazy got hit in the head once the sound they make when they hit cars and trash cans is unreal
Fulton, California about 1 hour south of San Francisco. Lots of Acorns coming down like rain, can’t keep up with picking them up.
I’m in Santa Rosa and getting the same. Just moved to this house last year and we didn’t have this issue. This year sounded like heavy rocks hitting the roof and patio!
Northern Indiana about an hour from Chicago. Tons of acorns in yard. Squirrels going crazy.
More acorns then usual they are on the small side though and green. In mid Florida gulf side.
Southwestern Michigan and we have loads of acorns. The ground is carpeted with them.
Southwestern IL and our tree has been dropping them like crazy! I have never seen so many in the 12 years we have lived here. I almost need to put on a football helmet just to get to my car !
North of Dallas. Acorns are dropping but they seem immature.? Someone has been trying to nibble on them but does not seen to like the taste of them!
Redding California. My yards are covered in acorns dropping like bombs nonstop.
Tons of fat acorns in So Cal Ojai. I’ve never seen so many blanketing the ground
I call it the Acorn Index. The severe winter of 2012-13 had acorns droping in June. This year the squirrels are lvoing it, for they have been feasting since mid july. Now they seem intenst on burring many that in July were left to rot. So my acorn idex for NW. Lower Michgan is lots of snow, and normal winter like temps. Last winter it was much less snow above normal, and warmer tempts.
However, there will no tbe a repeat perfromnce unless of course, again we have some climae change.
And finally for all of those “Geeenies” out there: There always was, and will be climate change as long as we have weather on this planet !
One of our oaks has dropped thousands of acorns. They hurt and bruise if you are hit. We’ve never seen so many and have lived here 9yrs. NW Oregon
I got nailed by one a few weeks back, I thought I was going to bruise up from it!
We’re in Southern New York, and there are acorns everywhere!
Acorns galore!! Plus I have more walnuts this year than ever before!