Unexpected Hazard

The photo is of a chipping sparrow sitting on the lower fence railing. Chipping sparrows are more common than robins here in the summer. And they account for about 99.5% of all sparrows seen at Roundtop.

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Most of the potential hazards association with living in the woods are probably ones just about anyone could name--wind and fire probably top the list. Others might be rabid animals, snakes for some people. But I'll bet you never thought of acorns as a hazard, but they are.

Now is the time when acorns are falling from the oaks. It almost sounds like rain. I hear them crashing through the leaves and plopping onto the forest floor, where almost none of them will ever get to be trees.

Last night I was out walking one of the dogs, wearing the flip flops that are my summer shoe of choice. And one of those little acorns fell right onto the top of the base of my little toe. Boy, did that hurt! It was as bad as a bee sting. This morning I have a little red mark there. Okay, so acorns can't compare to wind damage or rabid animals, but who would have guessed that acorns would be any kind of a hazard, even a little one?