Butternut Tree

After discovering the 'Loose and Leafy' blog, I've decided to follow a single tree for a year, and check it out every month.  In fact it sounds like such a good idea for photography, I may follow several trees, at least seasonally.  The tree I've chosen first is a Butternut, Juglans cinerea, growing right in our old stone fencerow, past the garden shed.

The Butternut tree is uncommon, but it is found along the Niagara Escarpment here in southern Ontario so it's not surprising to find it here.  But it's rapidly succumbing to the Butternut Canker disease, so rapidly in fact that it's been named an endangered species here in Ontario.  The search is on to find individuals who may be immune to the canker.

It's a fairly coarse branched tree, here with branches reaching wide because it's growing in the open along the fencerow, but in a forest it grows tall and straight to the canopy.

I chose this tree to follow because I'm worried about it.  Several branches have died since we moved here, and it just doesn't look healthy.  I'll probably have to trim more branches next summer, but if it does have the canker, it's only being affected very slowly. This picture was taken in the fall.

This is a good look at the bark, which consists of coarse vertical ridges that wind a little, joining and separating as they go.  This trunk is about 16" in diameter.  As part of following my Butternut, I'm going to find out how to recognize the canker so I can monitor that.  I think the small black patches may be the start.

The branches are quite coarse too, with no fine little twigs here.  The trees (and leaves in summer) branch out alternately, and the leaves are compound with numerous leaflets, forming a leaf up to 15". long.

Here's a close-up of a twig, taken earlier this fall.  It shows the coarse texture, and several alternate bud scales.  The tree bears an oval nut similar to the round walnut, and this tree bears well.  We have dozens of small Butternut seedlings popping up around our meadow.

The Butternut often shows up in my sunrise shots, taken from the window where I'm having my morning coffee.  It's the left-hand taller tree, just to the right of the shed, and this is what the yard looks like today!  About 20" of snow and -21°C. temperatures!

Lucy's 'Loose and Leafy' blog provides a place to record your following an individual tree for a year, so this is my initial post.  I'll be expecting to make one a month for the next year.  Check it out and visit dozens of trees around the world!

Linking to Tree Following: