#hickory tree

[ID: A close up photograph of a twig from a bitternut hickory tree, with a white hand behind it, and snow in the background. The twig has light brown bark with smaller light spots, and the budding leaves are mustard yellow, and stand out strongly against the grey-brown of the bark. End ID.]

As the name implies, the nuts taste bitter, but are just as edible as other hickory nuts.

Address: 99 North Forney Avenue, Hanover Pennsylvania. There’s a really crappy sidewalk with no ramp and a gap filled with mud, and next to it is a stand of trees.

[ID: A screenshot from google maps, showing the view from the road of a short length of sidewalk with trees on the other side, all of them with bright green leaves. End ID.]

The bitternut hickory is towards the middle.

There is an 80% change that directly across from the fire hydrant is a pawpaw tree, but I haven’t found any definitive resources for identifying them in the winter yet. 

A Shag-bark Hickory (Carya ovata) before the storm. New York State.

Yesterday was the day for hickory trees. I was enchanted by this pignut hickory and lingered under it taking way too many pictures that I’ll never use but it was pleasant just to be there in filtered golden light with nuts and shells scattered around my feet and the landscape stretched out below.