Recently I've been picking up acorns on my walks in the mornings with the intention of painting them in watercolor. I like the striation markings on them and there is something about the ones with the little scaled tops that conjure stories of elves and fairies. I usually photograph my subjects, but I end up painting directly from the source if the subject will last. Leaves will change within hours, these acorns have been changing color within one day, but the orchids will last for weeks.

These acorns are from a Live Oak. There are several Live Oak trees on my walk that have been dropping acorns. The sound of the acorns dropping on the leaves is as intermittent and regular as water dropping from the eaves of the roof after a rain. If I listen, I can find an acorn that just landed close to me. The green ones, without blemishes, can be sprouted to grow little oak trees, at least that’s the information that I found on the internet. They are supposed to be unblemished, fresh acorns that when put in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for two months, will germinate. I have about 50 acorns in a plastic bag in the refrigerator now. They are supposed to be planted on their sides, in about 5 inches of soil, 2 inches from the surface. I hope most of them will sprout. I wanted to give the little trees to my sister. She and her husband have ten acres in Paso Robles that could use some more trees. The Live Oak stud the hills out there and do very well in the heat and dry conditions. All twisted and knarly, I often wonder how many of them are over 100 years old.

Do acorns knotted oak trees conjure visions of fall of fairy tales for you too?