Nature does some weird things...

**fokalina** · 11-06-2010, 09:29 AM

My parents go on walks. Sometimes they bring home leaves, feathers, rocks, nuts, etc. They leave their findings in our back porch before a) disposing of them, b) storing them, or c) using them as decoration.
A few weeks ago, they brought home some "nuts." This one, throughout its porch life, has been "seed"-sorting and piling...
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So, what I want to know is:
1. Is this a nut? Are those little things seeds?
2. Why are there neat, little piles of "seeds"? Why are they so well organized?
3. Is there a creature involved?
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**mindstate** · 11-06-2010, 04:02 PM

Looks like a black walnut.

**Rooster5E043** · 11-06-2010, 11:00 PM

That is very interesting! I agree about the nut looking like a walnut. The piles look like something ants would do.

**BuShinJu** · 11-07-2010, 02:12 AM

vibrating floor boards?

Ants sound most logical. or it's gnomes.

Post an update photo if there are more changes.

**Faarkrog** · 11-07-2010, 06:55 AM

Fascinating!

Are you sure that your parents did not pile up the "seeds" for some reason?
If your parents did not interfere then I agree with the others - this looks like something ants would/could do.

**AngryGroceries** · 11-07-2010, 09:53 AM

How very interesting.

Ants would take the seeds away, not pile them up. A pile would be made if a seed were to fall in the exact same spot repeatedly... so if that's coming from the walnut maybe there's some sort of tube that the seeds are spewing out of for some reason?

**mindstate** · 11-07-2010, 10:35 AM

Or maybe you put the piles there to challenge our thinking?

**plotthickens** · 11-07-2010, 10:48 AM

If I had to make a guess, I'd say that's frass, not seeds. Frass is insect poop.

**Silverity** · 11-07-2010, 10:48 AM

Rig up a videocamera and get back to us =P

Edit: neeevermind.

**fokalina** · 11-07-2010, 11:50 AM

Neither my parents nor I have touched it.

And if it's poop, there are even more questions. Are there two types of creatures pooping? Does one creature have two types of poop? Why is it/are they pooping around the walnut? Why are they pooping in nice, little piles?

Also, thank you for responding, everyone.
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**Artio** · 11-07-2010, 12:17 PM

A friend of mine is a biologist, who knows a lot about insects. He's theory is that there has been some insect in the nut (maybe a toad, maybe an adult). It has pooped through and out of some small wholes it has made, and that's why poop is in piles.

Storm · 11-07-2010, 12:59 PM

It looks like a pecan, not a walnut.

**BuShinJu** · 11-07-2010, 09:38 PM

	Originally Posted by Artio To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	A friend of mine is a biologist, who knows a lot about insects. He's theory is that there has been some insect in the nut (maybe a toad, maybe an adult). It has pooped through and out of some small wholes it has made, and that's why poop is in piles.

insects at different levels of maturity, hence the different size poops. Also there are droppings directly under the nut.

**Vagrant** · 11-07-2010, 09:57 PM

	Originally Posted by Rooster5E043 To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	That is very interesting! I agree about the nut looking like a walnut. The piles look like something ants would do.

I was gonna say, those piles look awfully reminiscent of ant handiwork.


	Ants would take the seeds away, not pile them up.

That could just be the hard exterior that's been chewed off. They'd dump it nearby until they got at the good stuff.

**pyramidheadrock** · 11-08-2010, 01:47 PM

	Originally Posted by fokalina To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	My parents go on walks. Sometimes they bring home leaves, feathers, rocks, nuts, etc. They leave their findings in our back porch...

You have very interesting parents.

**Vagrant** · 11-08-2010, 01:57 PM

	Originally Posted by pyramidheadrock To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	You have very interesting parents.

Is he a cat by any chance? :P

11-06-2010, 09:29 AM	#1
fokalina Member [34%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 1,363	My parents go on walks. Sometimes they bring home leaves, feathers, rocks, nuts, etc. They leave their findings in our back porch before a) disposing of them, b) storing them, or c) using them as decoration. A few weeks ago, they brought home some "nuts." This one, throughout its porch life, has been "seed"-sorting and piling... To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. [HIDE="larger version"] To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. [/HIDE] So, what I want to know is: 1. Is this a nut? Are those little things seeds? 2. Why are there neat, little piles of "seeds"? Why are they so well organized? 3. Is there a creature involved? To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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11-06-2010, 04:02 PM	#2
mindstate Member [27%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 1,114	Looks like a black walnut.
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11-06-2010, 11:00 PM	#3
Rooster5E043 New Member [01%] MBTI: ISxJ Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 76	That is very interesting! I agree about the nut looking like a walnut. The piles look like something ants would do.
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11-07-2010, 02:12 AM	#4
BuShinJu Member [43%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,734	vibrating floor boards? Ants sound most logical. or it's gnomes. Post an update photo if there are more changes.
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11-07-2010, 06:55 AM	#5
Faarkrog New Member [01%] MBTI: InTJ Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 30	Fascinating! Are you sure that your parents did not pile up the "seeds" for some reason? If your parents did not interfere then I agree with the others - this looks like something ants would/could do.
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11-07-2010, 09:53 AM	#6
AngryGroceries Banned MBTI: INTP Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 1,795	How very interesting. Ants would take the seeds away, not pile them up. A pile would be made if a seed were to fall in the exact same spot repeatedly... so if that's coming from the walnut maybe there's some sort of tube that the seeds are spewing out of for some reason?
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11-07-2010, 10:35 AM	#7
mindstate Member [27%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 1,114	Or maybe you put the piles there to challenge our thinking?
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11-07-2010, 10:48 AM	#8
plotthickens Core Member [662%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 26,505	If I had to make a guess, I'd say that's frass, not seeds. Frass is insect poop.
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11-07-2010, 10:48 AM	#9
Silverity Core Member [274%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 10,998	Rig up a videocamera and get back to us =P Edit: neeevermind.
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11-07-2010, 11:50 AM	#10
fokalina Member [34%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 1,363	Neither my parents nor I have touched it. And if it's poop, there are even more questions. Are there two types of creatures pooping? Does one creature have two types of poop? Why is it/are they pooping around the walnut? Why are they pooping in nice, little piles? Also, thank you for responding, everyone. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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11-07-2010, 12:17 PM	#11
Artio Core Member [510%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 20,418	A friend of mine is a biologist, who knows a lot about insects. He's theory is that there has been some insect in the nut (maybe a toad, maybe an adult). It has pooped through and out of some small wholes it has made, and that's why poop is in piles.
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11-07-2010, 12:59 PM	#12
Storm Administrator MBTI: xxxx Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 14,681	It looks like a pecan, not a walnut.
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