Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and ​and Making It Grow . If I were collecting acorns to plant, I sure wouldn’t pick up the ones that had been gnawed or pecked at by squirrels or blue jays. Turns out I’d be wrong! Thank goodness a group of scientists decided to study the germination rates of acorns that were partially eaten or left intact by squirrels or jays and found that the sprouting rates were equal or even higher among the nuts that had been damaged. It turns out