:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/K4I4UUOEXOQF4THA3SY6NGUTEY.jpg)
When fall begins to slip into winter, squirrels in my neighborhood sport dark-stained chins as they dart across the tree’s branches. The stains come from black walnuts that have ripened and are either dropping to the ground, or hanging precariously alongside the tree’s long, slender, composite leaves. Squirrels love black walnuts and have strong teeth that can break open the hard green hull surrounding the prize. Inside the hull is a dark nut that was eaten by Native Americans. The hull, dark green at first, turns to black, which stains the squirrels; chins as well as human fingers who touch it. The stains can also get onto sidewalks and other places where the walnuts drop. Native Americans used that part of the walnut as a dye.
When European settlers came to the New World, they brought English walnut seeds with them to plant – but they soon learned those English walnuts didn’t like it here. So they started using the native black walnuts – though the taste is much stronger, which is why I buy English walnuts at the story when making my yearly holiday goodies such as Slovenian potica.
The black walnut can grow to 150 feet tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 6 feet. Its valuable wood has led to its
Continued on page 19
forest tree in the Midwest.
The largest black walnut tree in Illinois is 87 foot tall with a 17.3-foot circumference, and is located at a private residence in Yorkville, Ill , according to the Illinios State Tree Registry.
In northern Illinois back yards and forest preserves, you can also find lovely, large specimens. Indeed, a walk through a forest on years when nuts are plentiful, can be a tad dangerous as your foot steps onto the hard green shells strewn on the forest floor. When the walnuts are falling, the tree’s leaves have turned yellow.
My sister, who has lots of hickory and walnut trees in her Lake County yard, said it’s hard-hat season right now. There are more walnuts than blades of grass on her lawn, as they drop all day, “kerplunk” on her roof and on the ground. She says this year she has to dodge the dropping walnuts when she walks outdoors. What annoys her is heaven to the squirrels. Iin some years, the walnuts produce little crops and in other years, they produce an abundance. This is the high-productivity year and it’s got the squirrels scampering about eating as well as hiding the many meals they will have this fall and winter.
Squirrels are not only planing meals, but they are also planting trees that could sprout and grow. These common rodents don’t always find what they’ve hidden, so that gives the tree a chance to reproduce.
Black walnuts can make it difficult for other plants to grow nearby. The roots contain a substance called juglone, which makes it difficult for tomatoes, potatoes, red pines and apples to grow when they are roughly 60 feet or closer to the tree. Juglone doesn’t affect all plants, though. For example, native redbuds and Virginia creeper do just fine in the company of black walnuts, as do Jack-in-the-pulpit and wild ginger.
For a list of plants and crops that grow well with black walnuts as well as those they don't, visit http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1148.html.
Those who’d like to try collecting and eating black walnuts have a bit of work ahead of them. You’ll need to collect the walnuts when the hulls are green and not turning dark. Then use gloves to remove the hulls – and then take the fruit inside and ply out the meat. It’s not easy and it’s time consuming. I’ve tried it once, and never again.
I’d rather just sit back and watch the squirrels running around with glee at the prospect of having all that food to store and enjoy.
Identifying black walnut
The base of the leaves smell like walnut.
The bark has a diamond pattern.
The green husks are about 2 inches in diameter.
Each leaf stalk, which can extend to 2 feet long, consists of a series of smaller leaflets. This pattern is called a pinnately compound leaf.