This acorn caught my eye as I was climbing a steep hill in our heavily wooded Mason District Park. Everything on the ground before me—leaves, branches, soil and seeds—was dry and brown, except for this one acorn. Its striking colors leapt out at me from the drab surroundings, and I almost passed it by, but gave it a second thought and returned for a shot.
It just happens that an acorn seed that has a yellow, brown or black body, as well as a loose cap, is ripe and can be easily planted to grow one’s own oak. Read Growing Oaks from Acorns if you’re interested.
The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.
~~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Happy Autumnal Equinox!
Grace
T
8noodles
justin
YogaforCynics
Twitter: junkdrawer
Your nature photographs are outstanding! Nice job. You’ve got some great detail there.
Junk Drawer Kathy´s last blog post ..I Promised No More Math, But….
The shiny black of the acorn makes a great contrast to the drab forest floor. Very nice capture, and a good eye to find it!
Janie of Utah´s last blog post ..Joules Jolt
Either that or it’s some kind of alien seed that’s gonna turn into a tree that eats people…
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Twitter: earthtoholly
Thank you so much, Kathy. I’m glad you like it. And you’re too kind, really you are!
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Thanks very much, Janie. It really did stand out from the rest of the ground. I’m just wondering how Lucy missed trampling it as she climbed that hill.
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Uh, earth to drjay…heh-heh, like that? I think you’ve been hangin’ out for too long over in the Shaggy Parasols post…no eating the ‘shrooms!
Twitter: timethief
I adore this clean and crisp new theme. It showcases your remarkable talent as a nature photographer. What an excellent choice.
Happy Autumn Equinox to you and to Lucy too.
“Little by little,” the acorn said,
As it slowly sank in its mossy bed,
“I am improving every day,
Hidden deep in the earth away.”
Little by little each day it grew;
Little by little it sipped the dew;
Downward it sent out a threadlike root;
Up in the air sprung a tiny shoot,
Day after day, and year after year,
Little by little the leaves appear;
And the slender branches spread far and wide,
Till the mighty oak is the forest’s pride.
“Little by little,” said the thoughtful boy,
“Moment by moment, I’ll well employ,
Learning a little every day,
And not misspending my time in play;
Whatever I do I will do it well.
Little by little, I’ll learn to know
The treasured wisdom of long ago;
And one of these days, perhaps, will see
That the world will be the better for me.”
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23029
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What a great picture- the acorn certainly does looka bit strange in black. Very cool.
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I haven’t seen this color of an acorn before! Fantastic shot, Hollly!
Icy BC´s last blog post ..Wordless Wednesday–Pink Orchids
great shot.
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great photo. I’ve never seen a black acorn. Very interesting facts to go along with it too.
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Twitter: jodapoet
Very unique Holly and a fantastic photo. Great eye for details too.
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Twitter: earthtoholly
Thanks on the theme, tt. Actually it’s the same theme I had before, but it’s very versatile. And very user friendly. And thank you for the great poem–that went perfectly with my acorn! Hope you and your new doggie are doing well.
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Hi and thanks, Bemused26. Yeah, I thought it was a little strange, too. Haven’t found another one like it…yet.
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Thanks, Icy BC. Glad you like the odd find!
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Thanks, Katherine and thanks for stopping by.
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Hi and thanks, ann. Yeah, my first time seeing a black acorn, too. Kinda cool.
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Thanks, Joanne and glad you liked it. This one really stuck out like a sore thumb!
Just wandered on in, and I have to say that is quite an impressive picture of an acorn: you’re right, the colors do leap out at one, especially that very shiny – almost reflective black (am I seeing this right?). And you do a wonderful job contrasting what this thing literally is – it does not merely represent – with the environment it was found in.
Thank you for sharing!
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Thanks for reminding us all the time to notice these small things that mean so much. These photographs are truly magical.
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Twitter: earthtoholly
Hi and thanks, ashok. I’m glad you “wandered on in,” and am happy you enjoyed the shot. Yes, the color is black, but almost looks blue-black with the light reflecting off of it. I’ve not seen another like it…yet.
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Hi Nothing profound, and thanks so much. I’m really glad that you and others appreciate these small bits of nature that I find most interesting. :o)
Twitter: spencer smart
Found a black acorn and checked it out on google hence my finding this site. Interesting that it is supposedly ripe and ready to plant, as this is a small acorn and the cupola is still quite green and not ready to submit it’s cargo to the earth. Could there be something else at play here? I have lived in the country most of my life and have never encountered anything like this!
Hi, spencer, and glad you found us. I’ve yet to find another acorn that is as eye-catching as this one. I remember when I found it…the colors just popped out at me. If I happen to find another, I might have to post, again!
I was in the woods today and found 8 black acorns. Never seen one before. They were under a white oak. I’m checking to see if they are diseased or fungal.
Wow! This is the only one I’ve ever seen, but now that it’s that time of year again, I’ll keep an eye out.
I was hiking in the mountains of North Georgia yesterday and found quite a few black acorns scattered along the path we were hiking. There were lots of tall oaks of varying types in the canopy and so I couldn’t tell where they came from. Neither my wife nor I had ever seen one before and so we were quite surprised. I can’t find anything on the net so far that explains if they are from a particular type of oak. If anyone knows I hope they will post to this site. We take lots of photos in the mountains and I really appreciate you posting this site Holly. Thanks.
Hi Tom. It was almost exactly a year ago that I found this black acorn…maybe I can find another. I’ll keep an eye out on our walks. I also searched the web again and you’re right…not a lot of info, amazingly. I seem to think that the black acorn is not so much from a specific oak than just a stage or condition of all acorns, but I could be wrong. When I found this one, there were no others around, which doesn’t make sense if it fell from a nearby tree. If I find any info, I’ll let you know. Thanks for stopping by!
black acorn is considered to be extremely lucky by cherokee
hold it tight
you will prosper
Hi wandering joe, and thanks for stopping by. I didn’t happen to disturb the one here, but just yesterday I found another one…the cap is brown and dry, but I’m assuming it is just as lucky. I’ll hold onto it…thanks.
Dear Holly,
I found many black acorns under a Live Oak (a type of oak) in Lake Arrowhead, CA. I brought home two of them because I couldn’t figure out where they came from. I’ve never seen them before in 14 years I’ve walked this path. Your picture was beautiful and looked exactly like the ones I’ve seen. Thanks for your blog about them.
We have a lot of different types of oaks in our yard, and this year I found a number of black acorns from different trees and different species. I have been trying to find if there is a significance.
I also came across several of these black acorns while hiking in the forest at Pine Cove, CA, which is located near Idyllwild, CA. Is this a new occurrance, or a new species of oak?