Q: I have more than forty oaks in my yard. I have huge numbers of these tendril-like things dropping everywhere from the trees! What are they and can I use them in compost?

A: The “tendrils” are male oak tree flowers. They disperse pollen to pollinate the small female flowers you might see at the ends of oak branches. This was a huge year for oak flowers (and pollen) because last summer had such good growing conditions. Anything that drops from your trees is fine to compost.