Nature Walk: Black Walnuts

The American walnut is one of the most valuable trees in the forest. Tall straight boles of old trees can can be worth tens of thousands of dollars in the veneer market. This tree species grows best in soil that is deep, fertile and moist but well-drained. As a result, the native habitats for American walnut are generally the rich soils of floodplains and bottomlands. Although these trees are planted by humans, most of the older trees were likely planted by fox and grey squirrels who bury the nuts for food during the winter. We have also seen chipmunks caching the nuts!

Where do you see American walnut trees growing in Iowa? Are they surrounded by squirrels storing food for winter at this time of year?

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