Kuliga Trail
Black Walnut Tree
Black walnut trees are big native trees known for their strong wood and famous walnuts. They are an important part of forests and help many kinds of wildlife.
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Quick Facts
Common Name: Black Walnut
Scientific Name: Juglans nigra
Fall Color: Yellow
Native To: Eastern and Central United States
Fun & Surprising Facts
Nature’s Ink!
The green husks can stain your hands dark brown — pioneers once used walnut hulls to make ink and dye.
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Hidden Superpower
Black walnut trees release a natural chemical from their roots that makes it hard for some other plants to grow nearby. This helps reduce competition for water and nutrients.
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Squirrel Planters
Many new walnut trees grow because squirrels bury nuts and forget where they hid them!
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Heavy Hitters
Walnuts are hard and heavy — when they fall, they can make a loud thump!
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Bee Friendly
Even though the flowers are small, they provide pollen for bees in spring.
How to Identify a Black Walnut Tree
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Long compound leaves with many leaflets
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Round green nuts in late summer and fall
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Dark, deeply ridged bark
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Fallen husks that may stain your hands brown
Fun Trail Challenge
Can you:
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Count how many leaflets are on one leaf?
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Find a walnut husk on the ground?
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Spot the deep grooves in the bark?