Buckeye and Horse Chestnut

Early to bed... early to rise... certainly applies... to the Buckeyes! Aesculus glabra (Buckeye) is one of the earliest trees to turn color and shed its leaves in the fall, and one of the earliest to leaf out in spring. Its palmate leaves usually bear 5 leaflets. A similar species, Aesculus hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut), native to Eurasia, usually has 7 leaflets. It is cultivated and rarely escapes. Both have leaflets irregularly toothed - as if chewed by a Ferengi.

Buckeye - Aesculus glabra

Horse Chestnut - Aesculus hippocastanum
The wood of Buckeye is lightweight and soft, not highly valued for furniture or cabinetry. So, what can you do with light grey Buckeye wood? You can... carve an Eeyore!