Walnut

 I was walking back from the wildflower garden with my hat on and my

head down and the rising sun in my eyes when BAP! I was bopped in the head.

When I looked around I was surprised to find it was "low hanging fruit" from

a walnut tree. 

The eastern black walnut  (Juglans nigra) is a flowering deciduous tree. The

wood is used for furniture and the nuts are valuable commercially. The nuts are 

picked by hand. About 65% of the annual wild walnut harvest occurs in Missouri 

where it is the state tree nut (1990). The nuts are used in ice cream, baked 

goods, and candies. The hard shell is used as a soft grit abrasive in metal cleaning

and polishing and in oil drilling. It is also used as a filler for dynamite. The dark

husk oils cause a pesky stain on your hands.