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| Buckeyes in September |
The "labor" on my Labor Day weekend was harvesting buckeyes. The Ohio buckeye,
Aesculus glabra,
is the first tree to open its leaves in spring and the first to lose
its leaves. I find them by cruising along the trails and edges of the
field looking for small leafless trees, then scanning them for tan balls
hanging on the bare branches. The seed capsule
which matures in August is rough and somewhat spiky.
Why
bother hunting them? Like my deer and turkey hunter friends tell me, the challenge of the hunt is as rewarding as the kill. Hiking through the woods with eyes cast to the sky is challenging with the shrubs and thorny vines grabbing at your ankles. Finally spotting a bare branch with a buckeye hanging from it is the reward. OK, so I don't have very high standards for excitement.
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| Hillbilly buckeye hunters |
Aside from the challenge, which is half the fun, there is the "kill" when I collect the seed capsules. Occasionally they are within easy reach but most are eight to twenty feet up, daring me to get them. In the past, Larry Whiteley and I tied a holey rock (found with a hole through it) on a rope and threw it over the limb to shake capsule loose. I have made a jointed 16 foot pole with a hook and rope now. Occasionally however we just use hillbilly ingenuity.
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| The eye of the buck |
The spiky capsules split after they dry a while, then open to expose 1 to 3 large and beautiful brown seeds, each
with a white circle which is the "eye of the buck." According to folklore,
carrying one in your pocket brings good luck (so they say). If nothing else, it is less messy than a rabbit's foot and reduces the number of 3-legged rabbits running around in the fields.
Rub the nut
along the side
of your nose for some natural oils and it polishes up to a beautiful brown sheen. They can also be
strung like beads once dried. The bark and
seeds are poisonous, containing tannins and a narcotic glucoside. Native Americans extracted the tannic acid for tanning leather. It also has been used in folk medicine as a
sedative, for relieving constipation and asthma and for the treatment
of hemorrhoids and "female disorders." It is also said to relieve the
pain of arthritis and rheumatism.
Because of the toxicity and taste, wildlife such as turkey and deer avoid them. Squirrels will occasionally eat them and survive, which is no
surprise to those of us who have seen them eat the painted siding of our
house.
