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Woodpecker’s winter stash

Posted by in Today's Image | December 11, 2020

Acorn woodpeckers can be found in the North American West, and in Mexico and Central America. They harvest acorns directly from oak trees, then store the nuts in individually drilled holes in one or more trees, known as “granaries.” A single tree may be carrying 50,000 stored nuts!

Rough, fissured tree bark, studded with hundreds of acorns in holes.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Fern Zalin in Santa Clarita Valley, California, captured this image on December 5, 2020, and wrote: “Acorn woodpeckers have made this huge old Valley Oak into a granary tree, stashing thousands and thousands of acorns as high as I could see.” Thank you, Fern!

Looking upwards at a tall tree, with acorns stored in its bark.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Brendan Barnes in Mount Laguna, California, caught this image of an acorn woodpecker “granary” in March 2020 and wrote: “I found this tree with thousands of acorns, as high as one could see! Think of the time it would take to make this.” Thank you, Brendan! Amazing.

Read more from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology: Acorn woodpeckers

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Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.

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