And if it is the flower buds, rather than the leaf buds/growth tips, being eaten, then you will get no, or fewer, flowers this spring. I don't know if they would work, so am offering it only as a suggestion - but one of the critter-ridder sprays, probably one that claims to deter groundhogs or rabbits, might work. I know red pepper/cayenne powder will mostly keep squirrels out of my bird feeders (I mix it with the seed), but didn't stop a raccoon from taking several feeders down from the hooks at night, and dragging them off into the bushes if they were hard to open (hanging the feeders from light ropes did the trick). If you are dealing with a large tree, the suggestion becomes impractical. It might be too late for this year, but you could make yourself a note and spray next year at this time or a bit earlier. The other thing to remember is that the trees evolved with bud-eating "varmints", so it probably won't kill the tree unless the varmint (whatever it is) keeps it up over the entire spring and summer, for a couple of years. The tree won't get bigger, or will do so more slowly than it might otherwise, but it will probably live, as long as the varmint moves on soon. Whatever the "varmint" is, it is probably attracted to the nutrient-rich buds, in the absence of other foods. You could always "give in to it", in a sense, and put out some other food that it can get to - either bird seed, suet or peanut butter come to mind. This would at least keep it from the chestnut buds. It would also, unfortunately, teach it to look to you for food, so it's a toss up.

Most likely the buds froze on the lower part of the tree. I observed with same phenomenon on my Shellbark Hickory tree the last Sunday in April, when it got down to 26 degrees right when the tree was blooming full of male catkins and female flowers and emerging new leaves. The tree was very severely zapped by the freeze about 3/4ths of the way up the tree. The new growth was all brown and limp the next day except in the very top 4th of the tree, where it was still green. The tree is close to utility wires and is significantly taller than the wires. Because cold air sinks and warm air rises, it is obvious to me that it wasn't as cold that high up as it was at ground level. It's certainly possible that this is what happened to your tree, the emerging blooms were killed by frost but the highest few were far enough up that it wasn't cold enough to kill them.

well, well, well...isn't that interesting! I walked in from our hike and showed these to my father in law (who's lived in Monterey most of his life) and he identified them as chestnuts so I thought nothing of it, but I definitely think you are correct. The green pods had opened to yield these dark brown smooth nuts of about 2 inches that were beginning to germinate (and rooted nicely in my pot) looks just like what is on your page and that would make more sense. I'm going to try to attach some pictures. I bet these were the beautiful silvery branched small deciduous trees I was seeing everywhere as well. I checked another page and they end the article with: "Though thoroughly inedible (unless leached of their toxins, as the Native Californians did), there is something irresistible about this seed, looking as if it had been carved, lacquered, and polished; few can resist picking up one or more, often pocketing them to be brought home for a show-and-tell with family or friends. And then the rains come, and the year-long cycle begins anew. - See more at: http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/california-buckeye-a-tree-for-all-seasons/#sthash.zsT2m7jo.dpuf" I was definitely one who couldn't resist pocketing a few... In this case, I'd be dealing with much smaller trees/large bushes, which would be better for this spot, but we are zone 6a (changed from 5b as climate change has happened over these last decades). So I may lose them if we have a harsher than usual winter--we had one of the 10 coldest winters here in 2013-14 and I did lose some variegated hollies that are more suited to Great Britain but had been on the lot for about a decade. But it is still worth trying since we are in the range they can take and would be fun to see what they can do. Sounds like the plans for a well draining corner spot where the acorns don't end up in the yard and I can keep them watered the first couple of years and they get reasonable afternoon sun, would still be just about right. If they end up establishing, the seedlings do sound like a bit of a pain, although I already have landscape fabric and mulch through that whole area to keep all of the other non-native stuff (like the asiatic shrub honeysuckle and trumpet vine) from getting a firm foothold. So pulling weeds along the lot line is already a part of my life. Thanks for the information...I guess these are the hazards of collecting 'magic beans' along a hike. It has already been fun to watch them growing in my pot.

Gardengal, Thanks for the comparison to grafted plants pots and the reminder about bark based compost. It almost sounds like I could leave the plants in the 4"x9" they are in now for another year. That would be nice. Re: "Varieties" I sort of didn't think about seeds not being 100% true to the parent plant, and I would not call them the original. But having said that it's hard NOT to call these guys 'varieties'. There is an obvious difference between the little guys that resemble the parent pretty well. I have 6 little red ones from a Sherwood Flame that look identical to one another, 6 pinkish-green Japanese maple trees from a Sango Kaku, and 1 from a Seiryu... . So yeah they are not official but hey you can't beat the price----and they are absolutely beautiful! Maybe I'll give them each a unique name, like Bardamu's Rufescent Sprout, etc then sell them on eBay. There are so many varieties, and I sure can't tell what's what in this crazy world. Ken, I'm not any more worried about these plants living through this winter than with my other potted plants--which is a substantial concern. But here I didn't bring it up. I just wanted to know an acceptable pot size for a 2 year old JM tree for next spring. I live in Southern Massachusetts in a spot I like to call z6. I really should put that in my nickname. Since the generic acer palmata are in a small pot now, I am burying the pots in ground under a wind shelter, so I think I've got that part covered---or I am in for an unpleasant surprise!