Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) This impressive tree is best known for being the source of maple syrup and having one of the bestdisplays of fall color in the forest. The sugar maple’s leaf is the symbol of Canada and is … Continue reading →

Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata) I ruined many good white T-shirts, when I was a boy, harvesting hickory nuts in fall by creating a makeshift bag out of my T-shirt. The neighborhood kids and I would then sit in a circle … Continue reading →

American Hazelnut (Corylus americana) One of my favorite trees is Henry Lauder’s Walking Stick or Contorted Filbert (Corylus avellane ‘Contorta’). I love its unusual, gnarled appearance with its crazy cork-screwed branches. It shares the genus Corylus with 2 native relatives … Continue reading →

Southern Crabapple (Malus angustifolia) Although, the Southern or Narrow-leaf crabapple is not a common tree, there are many scattered across the Southeast. While not as showy in spring or fall as some of its hybrid relatives, it is still an … Continue reading →

American Beech Fagus grandifolia   The beech tree is of such great significance to humankind that the etymological derivation of two common English words “to eat” and “book” are inexorably connected to it. Beech leaves and beechnuts (mast) were an … Continue reading →

Eastern Black Walnut Juglans nigra   I wasn’t aware of the value of black walnut trees until my father and uncle sold a large black walnut tree off my grandmother’s land for thousands of dollars. Even though I was only … Continue reading →

Sassafras Sassafras albidum   One of my earliest memories is drinking iced sassafras tea with my grandmother on a hot summer’s day. She made the amber beverage and kept it in mason jars in the refrigerator. I enjoyed the flavor … Continue reading →

Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis var. canadensis   While traveling one March day in Tennessee between Knoxville and Maryville, I was amazed by the dozens of redbuds in bloom along both sides of Hwy 140. They formed a tunnel of gossamer … Continue reading →

Eastern Mayhaw Crataegus aestivalis   I was not aware of the mayhaw’s existence until I started working for a nursery in Louisiana about 20 years ago. After a dinner party, a co-worker’s wife gave me my first mason jar of … Continue reading →

American Wild Plum Prunus americana I ruined many white t-shirts harvesting wild plums when I was a boy. I would roll up the front of my         t-shirt forming a bowl-shaped container like a kangaroo’s pouch to carry the small plums … Continue reading →