Three Rivers' Natural Resources Management

This is the unique female flower of the butternut (Juglans cinerea). There are no petals, just a green o***y and 2 bright pink stigmas (the part of a flower that captures pollen).

The male flower is a catkin, which occurs on the same tree but often flowers at a different interval to decrease the possibility of fertilizing itself. If pollinated, the o***y will swell into a sticky football shaped nut that matures in late summer, making it a prized find for squirrels trying to build up their winter caches.

Butternut trees were once widespread but have been listed as state endangered since 2013. They are very susceptible to butternut canker, which carries a high mortality rate and they are disappearing throughout their native range. Here at Three Rivers, we have a few known natural specimens, and this species was planted into many reforestation sites over the years, so you might catch a glimpse of this weird flower while walking a trail.

🌱🌱Out of the greenhouse and into the ground!

Many of our natives prefer cool soils and natural weather patterns to the constant heat and humidity of the greenhouse so with no more frost in the forecast, we are transitioning our native potted plant material from greenhouse to the growing beds as quickly as we can. These seedlings will spend the summer developing stronger roots and stems before they are harvested to be used in other projects.