Black Locust

Robinia pseudoacacia

Black locusts tend to grow in understory-like conditions, such as fields, thickets, young woods, and roadsides. You will find this tree a little off the trail in the Park Ridge East forest. This black locust stood out to me in part because of how tall it was, but mainly because of its bark. I like that it has smoother bark (as opposed to flakier bark) and the strips of red-orange that peek through the furrows (hence the species name pseudoacacia). Note: I might be biased in liking this tree because acacias are one of my favorite trees.