Acorn-y 2 Multi-Cache
echomint: A squirrel carried me away and then later ate me.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(not chosen)
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Acorn: the nut of the oak usually seated in or surrounded by a hard woody cupule of indurated bracts.
Acorns are one of the most important wildlife foods in areas where oaks occur. Acorns, along with other nuts, are termed mast.
Wildlife which eat acorns as an important part of their diets include birds, such as jays, pigeons, some ducks, and several species of woodpeckers. Small mammals that feed on acorns include mice, squirrels and several other rodents.
Large mammals, such as pigs, bears, and deer, also consume large amounts of acorns; they may constitute up to 25% of the diet of deer in the autumn. However, acorns are toxic to some other animals, such as horses.
Water Oak ( Quercus nigra )
The leaves of the water oak, a tall, slender oak are semi-persistent, falling a few at a time throughout the winter. This persistence may give the appearance of an evergreen habit, but leaves do not persist into the second growing season. Water oaks are extremely variable in shape and size, especially on sprout growth. Even on mature branches, shape varies widely. They are generally shaped like a spatula, narrow at the base and broadly rounded near the tip. Margins may be entire, three-lobed near the tip or variously lobed on both margins. Both surfaces of the leaf are green and smooth except for infrequent axillary hairs below. The lower surface is a slightly lighter green.
Even large water oaks (50 to 70 feet in height is average) retain relatively smooth bark. It is smooth and brown in youth, grading to gray-brown with irregular furrows. Diameters of 2 to 3 feet are common for mature trees.
Acorns are solitary or occasionally in pairs. The light-brown-to-nearly-black nuts are oval to hemispherical in shape and may be pubescent near the tip. They are about 1/2-inch long with a pubescent, saucer-shaped reddish-brown cup.
This wide-spread species may be found in mixed pine-hardwood forests, along roadsides, in flatwoods, bottomlands or urban openings. Its range extends along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to East Texas and south into central Florida.
This cache is one part of cache GC35Q9K, Acorn-y Me, which is a puzzle cache. The coordinates in the final stage of this cache will help you find Acorn-y Me.
This cache is located on the Hammock Road Trail and parking is available at Highlands Hammock State Park, Max Long Recreational Complex, and at Hammock Road and Lakewood Road.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)