Hi!
I found these seed pods all over my driveway and was wondering what they were/where they came from? I believe they came from the tree pictured, but we’ve never seen them before. We’ve lived in our house for 30 years and this is the first time we’ve come across them.
Thanks,
Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners. The fruit in your photgraph is a beech nut, Fagus sp.. I did not see a photograph of the tree so am unable to identify the specific species of beech.
Small quantities of nuts can be produced once the tree reaches approximately ten years of age but typically a heavy crop is only seen after 30 years of growth. Both flower and fruit production is particularly abundant after a hot, dry, and sunny summer the previous year which is exactly the type of summer we experienced last year.