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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

I was looking at acorns today, under a huge white oak tree, when I
noticed some red 'berries' on the ground.  They have a rough surface,
not smooth, and are uniformly 1/4" in diameter.  They look somewhat like
this red bayberry:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zeping/150247200/
But obviously not the bayberry. Inside of this 'berry' the flesh is hard 
and peach colored.

I looked at other large  white oaks and they, too, seem to be dropping 
these 'berries'.  It is only the white oaks, not the red or black ones. 
 All neighboring are identified and accounted for: eastern hornbean, 
sugar maples, sweetgum(lots of them), hickories, and other oaks...

I have no idea of what this is or where it came from.  My first thought
was that it is some weird type of mistletoe berry. I've always seen the 
white, smooth, shiny berries,is this a precursor?  I can't see any
mistletoe in the tree, but then, I am very nearsighted, the trees are 
huge, and the oaks still have their own leaves.  Are there multiple 
types of mistletoe? How have I missed something this obvious all these 
years?

Bev

--
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from
the government and I'm here to help.'"  Ronald Reagan