Starting a few weeks ago red oak (Quercus rubra)branches started raining down all over my backyard. The leaves were still green and they were in clumps with about 6 inches of branch attached. My neighbor noticed the same thing happening with her oaks. After a call to Cornell Cooperative Extension, I confirmed that the culprits are the squirrels. In the fall, they eat off the ends of the oak branches and wait for them to dry out and them use them for their nests. If this year’s supply of building materials is any indicator of the type of insulation they are hoping to create, we are in for a long and very cold winter.
