The what crop? Mast. That includes all of the acorns, nuts, seeds,and berries that wildlife depends on for food. The big impact could come this fall if the late spring freezes have killed all of the buds and flowers that produce the mast crop. Oak trees, especially white oaks, are the backbone of the mast supply.

We had three nights of temperatures five to ten degrees below freezing. The grass is green, but up on the trees, dead leaves hang in bunches. They don't resemble autumn leaves. These are dead and limp and dark brown. I have oak, hickory, walnut, dogwood, and poplar trees that look like that. Even the cherry trees and blueberries and out of action for this season.

What are the hundreds of squirrels that feed in my yard going to do? Birds can travel great distances and find food. Bears (none of those in my yard) will move to higher elevations where the trees had not yet flowered when the freezes came. I worry mainly about the squirrels.

The one bright spot in this mess is that it means that I won't have to rake up wheelbarrows full of acorns and hickory nuts this fall. But it might mean more critters feeding in my garden. In the long run, wildlife will recover from this disaster. Nature is not their worst enemy. It's people destroying their habitat. Late spring freezes can't hold a candle to what we are doing to wildlife.