Remember the Squirrel from last week with that HUGE — piece of FOOD — in his mouth? Nobody knew what it could be. Such an odd “thing.”
Well, guess what, I happened to walk by a tree and as I looked on the ground, I saw it! Yes, I saw, “IT.” I saw what the squirrel had in his mouth. I picked the weird thing up. It was VERY STICKY, like sap. Imagine my surprise when it was sticking to my fingers, felt prickly and I could NOT let go of it. I had to fling it off. Horror of horrors.
As I looked at it, I noticed there were more at the bottom of the tree. So, I peered up into the tree and LOOK what I saw. YES, a bunch of them growing on the branch.
I’ve NEVER seen a tree with these “things” in my entire life.
I stopped people as they walked by asking what tree this was, NO LUCK! So, I did searches online. Challenging, since I didn’t know what search words to use — “sticky spikey ball in tree?”
Needless to say, my searches didn’t pull up much. THEN a brainstorm, I have a friend who used to work at the arboretum. She must know this tree, right?
She messaged, it’s a HAZLENUT tree.
I went back to the tree for further inspection. See photo of where the nuts were. The nuts are protected inside a green leaf-like hairy bract with ragged edges. Nuts in clusters of 2-5.
I LOVE hazelnuts, so this was a GREAT find.
No wonder the squirrel was dodging me left to right! He thought I was after his hazelnuts!
And you know what — NEXT TIME, I might just go after him!
Have you watched that show on Netflix called, “ALONE?” One participant was desperate for food, it was winter, hard to find food. A squirrel had stashed away mushrooms at the top of a tree. The participant cut the tree down to get the mushrooms. He apologized to the squirrel (who wasn’t there), “Everyone for himself in the wilderness! We’ve got to SURVIVE!”
Great wilderness show if you haven’t seen it!
I will have more appreciation for the hazelnuts in Nutella, Loacker wafers, Ferrero Rocher, Godiva, and Kinder Buono chocolates now!
Don’t you LOVE life’s surprises! Thank you, Mr. Squirrel!
Brilliant Viewpoint 
I love hazelnuts, too!
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Uh huh…stealing the squirrels food. Does he raid you refrigerator? Guess I need to send a bat signal to PETA. Oh man. you are in trouble! They like to protest in driveways, hold up signs that praise squirrels and degrade humans and stuff. Of course, if they are really PETA, they would know that we, too, are animals that need protecting from, well, them.
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EXACTLY — well, that’s why the participant on that ALONE show apolologized the the squirrel at the same time said, “If I had the food, you’d come in my house for it.” LOL — there was another episode where a mouse came into the hut of one of the participants and was eating holes into his socks!! On that show, you might get “one pair” of socks. He was mad, of course. Every night it seemed the mouse was coming and eating something. FUNNY, unless it is us in the freezing cold with holes in socks and shoelaces eaten up.
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I had no idea hazelnuts started out that way. Learned something new.
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Yes, I never thought about it either. I just like to eat them. 🙂
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🙂
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Wow, what a brilliant piece of deduction and an eye-opener for me 🙂
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Uh oh. Now you will be competing with the poor squirrel. Let’s hope it will never get to that 🙂
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Hahaha! Inflation…
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I had no idea that’s how hazelnuts are grown? How the heck would they harvest them when it’s so sticky?!
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If you look at the one on the floor, I think when that outer layer starts to dry up, the nuts are ready for eating. Would need to read more about it. Fascinating, really!
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Not a big fan of hazelnuts but I’m willing to give “Alone” a try. Need a new show – thanks!
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