The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nature’s Wisdom: the Acorn and the Woodpecker

Dear Subscriber First Name

During one of my wandering walks in December, I came across the dead branch of an oak tree riddled with holes and stocked with acorns. I had never seen anything quite like this before. I was engrossed in the observation of this branch when an equestrian passing by, noticing my surprise, told me that I was looking at a woodpecker granary: I had walked into the territory of a colony of acorn woodpeckers.

I did some research and found out that acorn woodpeckers are one of the few species of colonial woodpeckers, with all members of the community having a specific role in the group's social structure and participating in cooperative breeding: the breeding pair is responsible for laying eggs and raising the young, while the non-breeding adults assist with nest building, feeding the young, and defending the colony's territory. This allows the colony to raise more young than a single pair would be able to.

Acorn woodpecker colonies also have a unique behavior of creating granaries, or storage units, for their food. These communal granaries can contain hundreds or even thousands of food items, may be you saw the recent NPR Instagram video of a pest worker finding 700 pounds of acorns in a wall?. The stored food is an important resource for the woodpeckers throughout the year, especially during times of food scarcity, such as winter or drought. In addition to providing food for the woodpeckers themselves, these granaries can also benefit other animals that may feed on the stored items or use the holes as shelter or nesting sites.

The acorn woodpecker plays an important role in the ecosystem of oak woodlands, creating a circular relationship with oak trees. By caching acorns, the woodpeckers inadvertently help to plant new oak trees, as some of the acorns will germinate and grow into new trees. In this way, the acorn woodpecker and the oak tree have a mutually beneficial relationship that helps maintain the ecosystem of the oak woodland. It is a fascinating example of the interconnectedness of different species within an ecosystem.

In this same period, -coincidentally or is it serendipitously?, I happen to be reading Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, a 1993 post-apocalyptic fiction book that discusses climate change and social injustice, a prophetic odyssey on par with 1984. In her novel, situated in a scorched and devastated 2024 Los Angeles, Butler uses the acorn as a metaphor for the protagonist's vision of a new society and a new way of life. The acorn symbolizes the potential for growth and change: just as an acorn contains within it the potential for a great oak tree, the protagonist believes that within each individual there is the potential for a better, more just world. She sees the acorn as a powerful symbol of hope and possibility for the future she envisions.

And as it typically happens, since my first encounter with a woodpecker granary, I now notice them anywhere. I even have started a collection.

This experience was a reminder for me to slow down, to pay close attention to my surroundings, to reflect on what I am noticing and on what this could mean for my personal life and the ecosystem in which I operate. My insights were in the ubiquity of kinship, interconnectedness, circularity, reciprocity, collaboration, regeneration in the natural world as well as in the power of the acorn metaphor as hope and possibility for a better world for all.

So let’s slow down so we can start noticing. As Giles Hutchins, executive coach, senior adviser, thought leader and author writes in his latest book Leading by Nature- the Process of Becoming a Regenerative Leader:

The woodpecker not only sounds out the rhythm of nature, but also the heartbeat of the universe.

Warmly,

Anne-Marie (born 317.73 ppm)
March 15, 2023 (421.2 ppm of atmospheric CO2, 418.52 last year (safe level 350))

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Events for Slowing Down

Climate Coaching Alliance Global Festival

The Climate Coaching Alliance (CCA) Global Festival, now in its third week, will continue until the end of the month. It’s not too late to register!
The Fringe Festival with workshops and presentations by members of the Alliance is replacing the Keynote Festival of the beginning of the month. There are still plenty of fabulous events to attend, and they are all free.