Johnny Appleseed

So, everyone remembers Johnny Appleseed right? He was the guy who, as the story is told, was a frontier nurseryman who established apple orchards throughout the American Midwest in the late 1700's.  
 
Well, now I'd like to introduce you to Shooby Acornseed. Yes, my dog Shooby has planted hundreds of oak trees in his lifetime! I cannot say that I've ever known another animal other than squirrels who bury acorns, but its true. Here is a picture of Shooby ever so carefully selecting the perfect acorn for planting:

 

And, I do mean 'carefully selecting' too. Shooby will wander the yard or in the woods if we are on a walk to find what he considers the perfect acorn. He often picks up an acorn, tests it in his mouth for a bit and then drops it if he decides its not good enough. If I give him an acorn, occasionally he will bury it, but usually he just drops it and goes off to find a better one.

 

 Once he finds an acorn fit for planting, he digs a hole, usually at the base of a dead tree or rock cropping, drops in the acorn and covers it up with his nose. Here is a picture of a planted acorn in my flower bed before he got a chance to cover it up properly.

 

I cannot remember when Shooby started this strange habit, but I know he's done it for at least the last several fall seasons. I wish I could teach him to plant the garden in the spring or maybe I should try leaving apples around and he could be the next Johnny Appleseed!

I really have more than enough oak trees in my yard!