November 4, 2007 - Danger Zone Welcome to the Nature Notebook. This time of year our deciduous forests should have signs reading: “Danger, Hard Hat Area.” It’s not because of construction, but rather the falling of black walnuts from high in the forest canopy. With a hearty crashing sound these green to brown, golf-ball sized missiles hurtle to the ground. Once there, the green husk turns brown and begins to flake off revealing a hard nutshell inside. Although difficult for us to break, gray squirrels come equipped with tools to open the nuts. Sharp incisors make quick work of the shells, revealing the tasty and nutritious nutmeat inside. Nuts that aren’t eaten are often buried until later, sometimes never to be found again until they have sprouted into new walnut trees. So walnuts sustain squirrels and squirrels unwittingly plant the nuts to sustain the walnut population. What a wonderful relationship that is! This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.