The Nature of Phenology 9/29/18

Producers/Hosts: Hazel Stark and Joe Horn

Beech Nuts

Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com

Beech trees can be readily identified by their smooth gray bark. I recall the many hikes I went on with my parents as a young child and how my mom would teach me my trees. She would always tell me that the trunks of beech trees looked like elephants legs. When I came upon a great beech tree, I would place my hand on its smooth bark and imagine that the forest would transform into a wandering herd of docile elephants when no one was around. The husks of the beech nuts, however, are anything but smooth. Instead, the small nuts are covered in a husk with countless soft hooked spines.