comparing apples and oranges . . .

Or rather, chestnuts and acorns.  Haha!

I got a lot of feedback yesterday on my mystery nuts.  I have not found a single tree that matches both the leaves *and* the look of the nut.  And I scoured the Internet!  The nut matches the acorn from the Bur Oak ... but the leaves look more like a Pin Oak.  Aye yi yi!!  But Todd and I did head over to the house and while we were there, I collected some chestnut samples.

The chestnut is large and the *very* prickly outer covering starts out covering the whole nut, and then splits open to reveal several nuts within . . . 

The nuts themselves are irregular in shape and glossy.  (And, in case you're wondering, I have a bag full in the freezer now, ready for cooler temps and a little open fire roasting!)

The mystery nuts are much smaller and the caps don't enclose the nut, split open, nor do they have more than one nut.  

Here's a selection of several (at least four) varieties of *known* acorns.  

Oak trees are the *only* trees that make acorns.  I learned that yesterday.

Here's a shot of the tops and bottoms of all the acorns ... the mystery nuts are in the center.

I'm still leaning towards acorns, y'all.

Seeing the chestnuts side-by-side with the mystery nut makes it all the clearer:

To me, anyway.  But I have the benefit of being right here with them, too!  Perhaps they're a hybrid?  It's not a tree in the wild ... it's a planned, planted tree in a high-trafficked subdivision common area.  (Which also leads me to believe it's *not* a chestnut variety.)

We got out and about the camp yesterday afternoon.  We spotted a tree in the upper field that was just loaded with something.

Persimmons! 

It's full of them.

We also spotted some lovely wildflowers . . . 

I love this time of year.  Nature offering up it's fruits and labors.  So beautiful!

And since it's Friday and felines are the name of the game . . . here's an oldie but a goodie from my files . . .

Raccoon vs. cat.  That coon's back arched just like a cat's ... I'm pretty sure the coon won squatting rights, too! As per usual, I'll be linking up with Sarah's Feline Friday!

And, if you've hung in with me this long, here's a sneak peak to let you know I've not completely ignored my sewing room . . .

More to come soon!!

Happy Friday!