Shag-bark Hickory Nuts

I have written before about my love/hate relationship with our shag-bark hickory tree, here and here.

The tree provides a home for squirrels and birds and countless insects and smaller organisms. It is the only tree we have that is tall enough to shade the house from the afternoon sun. It is so pretty, and there is no way we would ever cut it.

Every other year, it has a bumper crop of nuts, many of which fall on the deck. Usually, when they fall, the hull breaks into four pieces, expelling the nut. We try to keep them off the deck (stepping on them could cause a fall) and have already picked up bags and bags of them. It has become a daily ritual, picking up the hickory nuts. There is still about a million of them on the tree.

Our dog, Sherlock, gets excited when we start picking them up, and he eats them. Yes, that's what I said, he eats them. He breaks the hickory nut in his jaw, spits it out, and eats the good part. Hub is amazed, and wonders if Sherlock is the only dog in the world that eats hickory nuts.

We have plenty of the nuts to share if anyone is interested. Just be sure to message me before you come, so I can lock Sherlock in the garage. You really don't want to come here when we are not home and mess with a dog that can eat hickory nuts.

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