Tasty Curly-Cues

 American Beech-Fagus grandifolia

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/fagr4997.jpg

"Fruits consist of 2 triangular nuts enclosed in 2 spiny bracts...opening in late summer to release oily nuts."


Nuts are edible raw. Nuts can be boiled to release oil which can be used for cooking.
"Edible wild plants: A North American Field Guide" Sterling Publishing Company 1990.

http://www.unb.ca/courses/for1000/trees/Images/Pictures/CloseUpLeaves/beech.jpg

Leaves: alternate , toothed, straight parallel veined , short stalked.
Bark: light gray and smooth.

http://forestry.about.com/cs/treeid/a/tree_ash.htm

Yesterday I took a gander through the conservation land in my back yard, a two mile long meandering woodland path across stone walls and by unfurling ferns. I was already high off discovering a new place that was secluded from the constructs of technology when I happened upon some beech nuts. I recognized them from my field guide and I knew I was spot on by the canopy of alternating toothed green leaves overhead. I gathered them greedily and rushed home to show off my foraging skills. "exhibit A, a beech nut from my hike!" I exclaimed with one presented in the palm of my hand.

With a wink and a smirk I placed the nut between my teeth to crack it open and to reveal the decadent oily morsel for my boyfriend, but a grub had beaten me to it. It looked up at me like the worm from the movie, "The Labrynth" who invites young Jennifer Connley in for a cup of tea, only this one was saying "why don't you come in for a bit of rotten nut?!"

The worm from, "The Labrynth."

Sadly all of the nuts were occupied by these segmented curly-cues. Nuts are to be harvested in the late summer-fall.

I guess the worm is right in that things aren't always what they seem.