Photos taken from Species at Risk Ontario

Butternut (Juglans cinerea) - Endangered

Butternut is a medium-sized tree that can reach up to 30 m in height. It belongs to the walnut family and produces edible nuts in the fall. The bark of younger trees is grey and smooth, becoming ridged as it ages. Butternut is easily recognized by its compound leaves, which are made up of 11 to 17 leaflets (each nine to 15 centimetres long) arranged in a feather-like pattern. The fruit is a large nut that contains a single seed surrounded by a light green, sticky, fuzzy husk.

Ontario Population: 10,000

Threats to Species: Butternut Canker is a fungal disease that spreads quickly and can kill a tree within a few years. This fungus has already had a devastating impact on North American Butternut populations.

Fun Fact: Butternut fruit provides food for squirrels and other rodents and the leaves are palatable to white-tailed deer. The nuts are used in baking and, in New England, for maple-butternut candy