Acorns Cached in Cork in California

It is not every day one would expect to find acorns stuck in the bark of a cork oak (Quercus suber).  But given the proximity of other types of oaks that are native to the area, and Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus), it is not too surprising.

These non-native cork oaks are growing in the median strips in a parking lot at Stanford Shopping Center, in Palo Alto, California. Native Acorn Woodpeckers make granaries using acorns from oaks, in this case probably from the nearby Coast Live Oaks (Quercus agrifolia), for future use.