American Chestnut

Castanea dentata

This once stately tree used to dominate the Eastern woodlands. It’s now considered functionally extinct due to the introduced chestnut blight. Efforts are being made to bring it back. Remnants of the trees are found in upland, mixed forests. Flowers bloom in June, producing male and female flowers on a single tree. Fertile female flowers produce edible chestnuts. This tree is the larval host plant to 125 species of butterflies and moths!