Red Squirrel, Black Walnut

For 8 months of the year there are 30 leafless, black walnut trees in my backyard.  And then suddenly, boom! Leaves and walnuts everywhere.  This is nice in the summer, with the dappled shade and the citrusy walnuts clinging tightly to the branches.  And then, as suddenly as they arrived, and just as Fall announces it's arrival, the trees drop their leaves, branches and walnuts all over the backyard. Raking leaves is perilous, with baseball-sized nuts dropping from 30 feet up.  The only good part of this instant nut buffet is the squirrels, who seem absolutely giddy over it.  For me it almost makes up for the giant mess I have to clean up every Autumn.