Nature is very persistent in trying to help plants spread their seeds. She came up with and implemented a huge number of devices that allow new sprouts to appear at great distances from the mother plant. For example, light dandelion seeds are equipped with parachutes, allowing them to fly in the wind, and thistle seeds firmly cling to human clothes and animal hair with small spikes-hooks. And who can help the oak?
What does an acorn look like?
Oak is a powerful and strong tree. He has a massive trunk and a powerful crown. It is not surprising that its seeds are not light. The oak sower must have enough strength to lift and carry a heavy and smooth fruit.
The acorn has a leathery pericarp and a solid plus (cap). This is a single-seeded fruit formed from overgrown simplified oak inflorescences. The fruits of chestnut and beech are also acorns, but in the cap of an oak acorn there is always only one fruit, and in a beech and chestnut a plus may contain several fruits.
Acorns bird
A small bird with bright plumage lives in the forest. It’s called Jay. This bird is an oak sower. In size, the bird is no larger than a dove. She has short wings and a strong beak. It’s hard for a bird to travel long distances, but in the crowns of trees it feels quite confident and is able to move along branches quite quickly.
Most often, jays settle in deciduous forests, where many oaks grow. The basis of the diet of birds is plant food, but they feed the chicks with insects, and adult jays do not completely refuse animal feed. But the favorite delicacy of feathered fidgets is acorns. Birds split the dense shell with their beaks, and when they are full, they begin to pull the fruits of the oak into secluded places. Getting ready for winter, a jay can make up to four kilograms of reserves, in different hiding places. Many caches are forgotten, and acorns hidden in coniferous litter sprout. That is why people believe that the jay is an oak sower. Thanks to a small, thrifty bird, young oak shoots appear in different places. This helps preserve the majestic trees.