Hickory trees in fall

One of the most beautiful of fall trees is the hickory. With leaves the color of slightly browned butter (is there anything better than butter?) -- it is quite a standout. Hickory trees tend to be tall and without many side branches, but I often cut sprouts and use them in arrangements in the fall – you don’t need flowers to make beautiful collections of autumnal colored branches. The leaves are compound with individual leaflets large enough to make the leaf itself showy. Carya is the genus for hickory – with about twelve species and also the same genus for pecan. Pecan leaves are anything but attractive in the fall. Pecans are easy to crack just taking two in your hand and squeezing them. Maybe Superman could crack hickory nuts together but not a regular person, these nuts are extraordinarily hard.