American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) at Lake Meyer Park IA 653A9572
American hornbeam is one of my favorite small trees to find out in the forest, seen here as several slim trunks clumped together in the foreground. American hornbeam has several other common names, including blue beech and musclewood. American hornbeam is often called blue beech because it has very smooth bark, similar to a beech tree, that is bluish-gray in color. That unique fluting in the tree trunks looks like a bodybuilder is flexing their arm muscles, hence the name musclewood. In addition, American hornbeam is often called ironwood too but that name is more often associated with American hop-hornbeam, a close cousin in the birch family. American hornbeam wood is very hard and tough so it was once used to fashion yokes for holding oxen together when pulling wagons - beams to hold their horns. American hornbeam is a wonderful tree for wildlife too as wild turkeys and squirrels eat their nutlets and wintering songbirds like American goldfinches and pine siskins will seek out their nutritious male catkins
American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) at Lake Meyer Park IA 653A9572
American hornbeam is one of my favorite small trees to find out in the forest, seen here as several slim trunks clumped together in the foreground. American hornbeam has several other common names, including blue beech and musclewood. American hornbeam is often called blue beech because it has very smooth bark, similar to a beech tree, that is bluish-gray in color. That unique fluting in the tree trunks looks like a bodybuilder is flexing their arm muscles, hence the name musclewood. In addition, American hornbeam is often called ironwood too but that name is more often associated with American hop-hornbeam, a close cousin in the birch family. American hornbeam wood is very hard and tough so it was once used to fashion yokes for holding oxen together when pulling wagons - beams to hold their horns. American hornbeam is a wonderful tree for wildlife too as wild turkeys and squirrels eat their nutlets and wintering songbirds like American goldfinches and pine siskins will seek out their nutritious male catkins