Beech mast, what percentage is fertile, or otherwise.

[difflock]

I have idly pondered this for years, since any time I have lifted freshly fallen Beech mast, and scrunched it between my fingers, I have never, to my recollection, found any substance to the mast. I.e. they always seem to be "blind" or lack any kernel or "nut". Like I would expect to find?

Am I missing something?

Marcus

Edited October 16, 2022 by difflock

[Terrain Aeration]

I always thought it was every four years fertile also I definitely know if they float empty if they sink full😃it’s in several of my books

[openspaceman]

6 hours ago, difflock said:

I have idly pondered this for years, since any time I have lifted freshly fallen Beech mast, and scrunched it between my fingers, I have never, to my recollection, found any substance to the mast. I.e. they always seem to be "blind" or lack any kernel or "nut". Like I would expect to find?

Am I missing something?

Marcus

In a mast year they fill out  and are viable, I used to eat them but some claimed they were bad for you. Little white nuts. Wrigleys used to sell chewing gum called beech nut but I doubt they had beech nuts in them because mast years were a lot less frequent.

 

This last summer I noticed a few beech cotyledon leaved seedlins in the wood far from any beech trees and wondered what transported them that far, grey squirrels I guess.

 

 

[Stere]

Red squrriels like them. Was working near a big beech last week,  and it had several squirrels  in it throwing the nut shells down onto a flat roof garage roof making a noise.

 

This yr there seems to be plenty of nuts,

[openspaceman]

13 hours ago, Stere said:

Red squrriels like them. Was working near a big beech last week,  and it had several squirrels  in it throwing the nut shells down onto a flat roof garage roof making a noise.

 

This yr there seems to be plenty of nuts,

My mother used to feed a red squirrel on the kitchen table in the mid 1920s here but they have been gone all my life, I have only seen them in the lake district.