Shagbark Hickory

Carya ovata

Shagbark hickories tend to grow in a wide range of habitats, from fertile uplands to river bottoms. You will find this shagbark hickory growing on the bank of a creek bed in the Park Ridge East forest. This tree stood out to me because of how completely gnarled it was: from the branches to the bark to the shape of the trunk itself. Shagbark hickories all have quite shaggy bark, hence the name, which I like a lot in general.