The Ohio Buckeye Tree

I found some Ohio Buckeye trees at camp and so the grandkids and have gone "nutting" last fall and again this month. Here's what I've learned in the past year about the nuts of the Ohio Buckeye tree.

The trees this year have dropped most of their leaves early because of the drought. This tree was offsite, but easily photographed to show what most of the trees looked like around Labor Day.

Here is another tree at camp with leaves that have turned bright gold. Looking carefully, you can see the clusters of buckeyes on the branches.

When the buckeyes are ripe, they will fall to the ground when the wind blows. It sounds like bombs falling and if you don't know what's going on, you can be startled and wonder what's falling. The shell/husk will usually pop off upon impact. Looking through the leaves on the ground, you can see the buckeyes laying on the ground.


Some are ready to pick up, some have been nibbled by a squirrel, and some are still in their husks. Here is a cluster of two buckeyes that were plucked from a low branch. The shell of the nut on the right has popped open and with a little pressure, the nuts will pop out.

Some buckeyes have just one large buckeye nut in them, while others have 2, 3, or 4 nuts inside. They are generally a bit smaller and have a flat edge or two.

The nuts are beautiful when they first come out of the shell/husk and have a wood grain look to them.


The nuts are sometimes damp when they come out of the shell. They need to be thoroughly dried. I have been putting them in the wagon and putting it in the sun. I stir the nuts periodically and remove those that are mildewed. As they dry, they will shrivel some.


They then need to be seasoned for a year. I hang them out in the garage in a mesh bag. In the spring, you can drill holes through the nut and use them for crafts.