My Oak trees are dropping clusters of healthy leaves from the branch tips all the time lately.....I pick up about 25 every couple of days. They branch tips that I am finding are healthy clusters from the ends of branches and they appear to be clean cuts from the tree at an angle...all of them.....almost look pruned. Is there natural phenomenon that someone knows about or am I being the victim of some strange practical joke? My neighbors hate my oaks because they say in the fall, leaves get in their pool.
The only thing I notice is that there is a flurry of activity out there by squirrels, but that is pretty normal in the fall. Could they be doing this?
2006-10-02 00:35:58 · 7 answers · asked by novamanassas 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
Nothing in the natural order of nature does a tree look self pruned.
Any one can tell the diff. between cut or bit or broke.
If these are tips that have the dragon fly wing sort of look, then those are always falling off.
Your neighbors could be reducing the amount of leaves they need to rake.
Remember, just because you are paranoid, does not mean they are not out to get you.
2006-10-02 00:43:33 · answer #1 · answered by leftturnclyde152521 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
One wonders if oak trees and gray squirrels have co-evolved a symbiotic relationship in which the squirrels prune the ends of branches to promote future acorn growth, which also benefits the oak trees since only a small portion of the acorns produced are suitably nutritious for the squirrels, leaving many more acorns to spread oak trees. There are 3 mature oak trees in front of my house (A, B, and C) and this year only C had most of the acorns. Notably, a team of squirrels from 3 different nesting locations has been doing major pruning work on trees A and B, but not on C. It is conceivable that oak trees could be sending some sort of pheromone indicators to the branch ends that they want pruned and the squirrels just do their bidding when they encounter the odor signals.
2015-09-30 09:37:16 · answer #2 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Squirrels do this all of the time, not only with oak trees either. I've noticed the same thing lately with an oak in town. And the place is filled with squirrels.
2006-10-02 01:10:06 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Do you / did you , or rather the tree - have acorns on the tips???? If so, then perhaps the squirrels have been - neatly biting off the ends of your branches to get the acorns which they then carry away and leave the leaves. They have very sharp teeth and do not need to carry pruners.
2006-10-02 00:48:54 · answer #4 · answered by Barbados Chick 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's the SQUIRRELS! They can not reach the nuts that are at the end of the branch, so bite the branch off.
There teeth are very sharp. Enjoy the fall!
2006-10-02 01:05:13 · answer #5 · answered by rlad58 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
100% sure it is the squirrels..I have lots of massive oaks on my property and every year at this time it is the same ...RAINING oak tree pieces and looking like perfectly cut segments too.
2006-10-02 00:55:02 · answer #6 · answered by colinhughes333 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
sounds like either a practical joke or a really weird disease. squirrels probably are not the problem and the branches would look chewed rather than cut....although squirrels are smart, look to see if they are carrying tiny pruners....kidding aside, call your local extension service and explain it to them they should be able to tell you.
2006-10-02 00:41:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋