Yellow Buckeye National Champion

 I have been waiting for weeks to go see this tree!  Last night I even had a nightmare that it was raining and our car broke down and we weren't able to go.  However, the day was beautiful, and we all (me and my chickens and two other families) trekked out to see this tree.  Truth be told it wasn't much of a trek.  This National champion is minutes from Keely's house and a short walk down a gravel path.  I find it astounding that this is the largest yellow buckeye in the country!  Finding the fallen nuts in the surrounding grasses was like treasure hunting.  Most were still encased in their hull, which was soft and spongy and easy to open.  The hollow inside the tree was certainly impressive.  Regional legend has it that the inside of this tree was once used for a farmer's pigs. 

 Plenty of knobs for climbing and vines for swinging.  Lots of poison ivy too...hopefully we left that behind.

Our tree crew:

Maggie and Keely, Gabriel, Eli, Ben, Evan, Joshua (not looking!), Emma, Caitlin, Ella