array9

It is surprisingly late, but there are none close by to compare wit

I like the idea that beech trees actively encourage pigeons to eat their leaves and buds In order to take advantage of the resulting fertiliser.  Maybe that is what they did last year, and hence the bumper crop now.

In a life time they only need to raise a single seed.

The system must have evolved over time, to out compete other tree

 species.  So this lone beech may have a good strategy.  Maybe busting a gut every five years, producing buds and seeds that pigeons hate, and relaxing between these efforts, attracting pigeons and gaining strength from the fertiliser.

 The local populations should optimise by only a fifth doing the good buds each year.

Fun

M