Our mystery nuts last week were not from the shagbark hickory, but from the the pignut hickory, Carya glabra.
Pignut hickories are large trees, commonly part of the mixed hardwood deciduous forest in the eastern United States.
Pignut hickories are native trees.
Like their relatives, the leaves are compound.
The nuts within the reverse-pear-shaped fruit are said to be bitter. Some wildlife will eat them, but we noticed it was a lot harder to find shagbark hickory nuts on the ground in the same area. I have a feeling, the shagbark nuts were being consumed first.
Do pignut hickories grow where you live?
Thanks, this was the best picture and description of Pignut hickory I could find on the web. Helped me identify my foraged haul!