With autumn around the corner, the hardwood trees are starting to drop their bounty. Hickory nuts, beech nuts, black walnuts, and acorns are abundant this fall. The rain this summer really helped these trees produce. The squirrels and other mammals will be thrilled and will be filling their special hiding places in preparation for winter. As you are cleaning off driveways and areas around your house, please consider finding a place in your yard to compost the nuts. It can take up to fifty years for an oak tree to produce acorns, so please avoid cutting mature trees down unless your home is in danger of having a tree fall on it. It is the trees that give the critters food and oxygen and help keep the “green” in Greensboro. Consider taking a nature hike this weekend and seeing how many different nuts and seed pods you can find.