The gorgeously patterned wood of this tree is highly wanted for furniture, veneers and indoor finishing. The nuts of this can be used for eating, but the thick shells and husks prove it to be more trouble than it's worth. The whole tree also produces a chemical called Juglone that can be used as a natural pesticide. The leaves and other such parts of the tree can also be used for medicinal purposes, Hamilton states "...and have been especially useful for treating skin diseases. The bark has been chewed to help with the pain of a toothache, and a bark infusion was taken as a laxative, among other uses.

Black Walnut trees are amazing for their surrounding environment; their leaves host over 100 species of caterpillars and moths. These insects feed local birds, and the nuts feed mice, voles, and squirrels over the winter. These animals are food for larger ones, passing energy up the food pyramid. Then, the Squirrels feed back into the trees. Hamilton states "since squirrels don’t always remember where they buried their nuts, sprouts of Black Walnut will appear in new habitats."

As of right now, Black Walnut trees are plentiful in their native habitat. However, out in Colorado there has been a serious outbreak of an unnamed fungus, as well as the Walnut Twig Beetle, that has 100% mortality rate for our Black Walnut trees. In addition, there is a very real chance that these tree-killers can move east, invading this tree's native home. According to Whitney Cranshaw, "Based on the patterns seen in the West, such a colonization could very possibly develop into an uncontrollable outbreak."

The Black Walnut tree flowers during the early summer months, and has both male and female flowers. Both flower types are capable of self fertilization, but this tree is "mostly wind pollinated." The Black Walnut tree grows best in the sun and does not tolerate shade well. Because of this, the tree produces Juglone, which has many human uses, but also seeps into the ground through the trees roots and retards other plant growth. This ensures less competition for our tree so that it can get all the sunlight it needs to thrive. 

Fall

Winter

Spring

Summer