34 Nebraskaland • December 2025
Black walnuts are common in eastern Nebraska forests,
providing food and habitat for wildlife. People especially
prize their rich nuts and dark, beautiful wood.
The Walnut's Delectable Nut
In eastern Nebraska, black walnuts grow in rich, moist
forests along stream bottoms, low bluffs and upland
ravines of the Missouri River and its lower tributaries. The
species extends westward into central Nebraska along the
Republican and Niobrara river drainages. On prime lowland
sites, the trees can reach 100 feet in height, though 40 to 60
feet is more typical. Black walnuts have also been planted in
groves for wood production and as yard trees, prized for the
graceful beauty of their wide-spreading branches, dark bark
and large, frond-like leaves.
The walnut's wind-pollinated flowers appear in May
alongside the leaves. Male blooms grow in drooping green
catkins 3 to 5 inches long, while the female flowers are
smaller and less showy, appearing singly or in clusters of two
to five. By October, the nuts, encased in thick green husks,
ripen and begin to fall, often to the dismay of anyone with
a well-manicured lawn. On the ground, the husks dry and
decay, turning chocolate brown or black. Inside is a ridged
black nut, and within that, a creamy to golden-brown kernel.
Squirrels flock to the crop, feasting on some nuts and
burying the rest for the cold winter ahead. Woodpeckers,
mice, other rodents and even black bears can pry or chew
through the hard shells for the rich reward inside.
People have also long valued walnuts. Archaeologists often
find nutting stones at Native American village sites. These
flat stones, with shallow, small, bowl-shaped depressions
carved into the surface were once used to hold walnuts or
In spring, male walnut flowers appear in long, drooping
clusters known as catkins.
