**Description:** A native shrub producing small, edible nuts enclosed in leafy, fringed green husks.
**Size:** Grows 6 to 12 feet tall.
**Wildlife Value:** High-fat nut source for squirrels, chipmunks, and Wild Turkeys. Ruffed Grouse consume the winter catkins.
**Identification:** Look for heart-shaped, fuzzy leaves and the distinctive "beaked" husks.
**Habitat:** Common along forest edges and transition zones.