Q: I have seen hundreds of these “droppings”, apparently from trees above my driveway.
They almost always come in pairs and, to be frank, they look like two tiny testicles joined with a little stem sticking straight up. I know oaks produce acorns and pine nuts come from a cone so what in the devil are these things?
A: Testicles?! I may discuss squash sex on a regular basis, but you, sir, have an imagination far beyond mine!
On the other hand, good questions like yours make my job delightful!
You simply have immature acorns being shed by the tree. This is a common phenomenon in June as trees of all kinds adjust their fruit load to anticipate hot, dry weather.
The tree is mostly a Southern red oak…but it has other oak parentage. Oaks are famously promiscuous and interbreed with each other with abandon.
There’s an arboreal orgy going on above our heads. And you have the picture to prove it!
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