Black Locust
Robinia pseudoacacia L.
DESCRIPTION: Black locust is a medium-sized tree with leaves which are alternate, pinnately compound, 8-14 inches long, with 7 to 19 oval smooth-edged leaflets. Black Locust support 65 species of butterflies and moths. Black Locust is in the pea family and is a nitrogen fixer for the soil.
HOW TO FIND THEM: In the spring the tree has a fragrant, 5 inch hanging white flower. In the fall the tree produces a 2-4 inch brown seed pod (looks like a bean pod). The twigs appear to be zigzag and have paired thorns. The bark on mature trees is heavily ridged and furrowed, resembling a woven robe.
FUN FACT: The pods, leaves, and bark are toxic to eat.
Box Elder
Acer negundo L.
DESCRIPTION: The Box Elder, a resilient species in the maple family, is able to grow in disturbed, and damaged areas. The Box Elder is a powerhouse species as it hosts upwards of 300 species of moths and butterflies.
HOW TO FIND THEM: The leaves resemble poison ivy as they have 3 leaflets and are coursly toothed. In the spring both the male and female trees have yellowish-green tassel flowers. New growth twigs on the tree are waxy and green to purplish green in color. In the fall the tree has beautiful cascading seed clusters (samara, which will generally stay on the tree throughout the winter).
FUN FACT: The Box Elder has historically had a bad reputation as a messy, ugly, weedy tree.
Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis L.
DESCRIPTION: The Hackberry is a very adaptable native deciduous tree and is among the best trees for wildlife. Songbirds and migrating birds relish it’s small fruit, and it supports 47 species of butterflies and moths, including some of our showiest and most sought-after butterflies.
HOW TO FIND THEM: The Hackberry’s gray bark with warts and ridges is its most distinguished feature. The twigs are fine, zigzag, light-red brown. It produces small, leathery fruit called “sugar berries” that turn orange-red as they ripen in late summer and fall, then turn a dark purplish-black color and persist through out much of the winter.
FUN FACT: BFNP has an abundance of Hackberry throughout all of the forested areas in the park.
Common Persimmon
Diospyros virginiana L.
DESCRIPTION: American persimmon is a woody, deciduous tree in the Ebony family. Persimmons are dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees. Persimmons are beneficial to birds and mammals which eat the fruit, support 51 species of butterflies and moths, and has special value to honey bees, and the Luna moth.
HOW TO FIND THEM: A distinctive characteristic is its bark. When the tree is young the bark is gray-brown with orange fissures. When the tree is mature the bark is divided into square blocks resembling small charcoal briquettes or a checkerboard. Optimum fruit-bearing ages is 25-50 years, with fruit crops every 2 years.
FUN FACT: Diospyros translates from the Greek as “food of the gods.”
Winged Elm
Ulmus alata
DESCRIPTION: Winged elm is a medium sized deciduous tree in the Elm family. Leaves are alternate, simple 1 ½ to 3 ½ inches long, oval, pointed, coarsely double-toothed on the edges. It has thin, zigzag twigs. The tree is a powerhouse native species as deer eat the leaves, birds eat the fruit and it supports 180 species of butterflies and moths.
HOW TO FIND THEM: The most distinguished feature of the Winged Elm is the corky wings protruding up to ½ inch on each side of the twig. On mature trees, the corky wings can also appear on the bark making it appear ridged.
FUN FACT: Other names for the Winged Elm are Corked Elm or Wahoo.
Chestnut Oak
Quercus prinus L.
DESCRIPTION: Chestnut oak is a medium-sized tree (50 to 70 feet high) with leaves which are alternate, simple, 4 to 8 inches long with large rounded teeth. Oak trees support over 530 species of lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) caterpillars, more than any other native tree or plant in this area.
HOW TO FIND THEM: The bark on a mature Chestnut oak is its most distinguished feature; dark and deeply ridged (unlike other white oaks), and described as resembling the back of an alligator. The leaves are similar to chestnut trees; hence the name. The acorns are dark brown, shiny, oval, large, with a thin scaly cap.
FUN FACT: The acorns are among the largest (1 ½ inch long) of native oaks.
Shortleaf Pine
Pinus echinata
DESCRIPTION: The Shortleaf pine is the most widely distributed pine in the Eastern U.S. as it is found in 22 different states. A large tree reaching heights of 80 to 100 feet, it supports over 230 species of butterflies and moths, and provides a food source for numerous mammals and birds.
HOW TO FIND THEM: The two most distinguishing features are the short needles, and small cones. The Shortleaf pine has short dark green needles, 2 ½ to 4 ½ inches long with a slight twist, in clusters of two or three; it produces small (1 ½ to 2 ½ inches) egg-shaped cones which stay on the tree for several years after seeds fall.
FUN FACT: It takes two years for the seed cones to mature after pollination.
Loblolly pine
Pinus tadel L.
DESCRIPTION: The most common pine at BFNP, the Loblolly grows at a fast rate, reaching heights of 100 feet in 50 years. The Loblolly pine supports over 230 species of butterflies and moths, and provides a food source for more than 20 bird species.
HOW TO FIND THEM: The most distinctive features of Loblolly pines are blocky bark, pale green needles 6-9 inches long appearing in bundles of three, and oblong reddish brown cones frequently occurring in pairs or groups of three.
FUN FACT: A Loblolly pine produces both male and female cones. The cones you find on the ground are female. Male cones appear in spring and release yellow pollen (yes, the pollen coating everything in the spring).
Mockernut hickory
Carya ala L.
DESCRIPTION: Mockernut hickory is a medium-sized tree (50-70 ft high) with 8-12 inch pinnately compound leaves made up of 7-9 leaflets. It produces a thick-shelled reddish-brown nut, which has a 4-sided outer husk. Mockernut hickory supports 239 species of butterflies and moths, including the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and the Luna moth.
HOW TO FIND THEM: The twigs on the Mockernut hickory are quite large and have a large end bud. The pinnately compound leaves are dark green above, and hairy orange-brown below, and aromatic when crushed.
FUN FACT: A Mockernut hickory does not produce nuts until it is at least 25 years old, but can then continue to produce nuts for 200 more years.
Black walnut
Juglans nigra L.
DESCRIPTION: The Black walnut has been described as one of the most valuable and beautiful native trees in Virginia. It has compound leaves with 9-21 long pointed leaflets. It is among the best trees for wildlife, supporting over 100 species of caterpillars and moths, and providing a food source for birds, voles, and squirrels.
HOW TO FIND THEM: The two most distinguishing features are the large compound leaves, and the large nuts (encased in a green husk), which look like tennis balls.
FUN FACT: All parts of the Black walnut produce the chemical juglone which inhibits the growth of many plants, thus giving the tree a competitive advantage for resources.
More information on these and other species found at the park — from mosses to mushrooms, bats to butterflies, or pine trees to pine warblers — is available! Check out our iNaturalist map!
Tree Walk
This walking tour will take you to 10 different native tree species in BFNP. At each tree you will find a plaque with the tree’s scientific name (genus, then species), its common name, and a QR code which you can use to obtain additional information about the tree.
Key to Map
BE Box Elder
BL Black Locust
BW Black Walnut
H Hackberry
L Loblolly Pine
M Mockernut Hickory
O Chestnut Oak
P Persimmon
S Shortleaf Pine
W Winged Elm