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CLEVELAND (WJW) — What comes to mind when you hear the word “buckeyes”? Maybe those tasty treats of peanut butter fudge dipped in chocolate?
But, do you know what nature’s ingredients are in the state tree of Ohio?
How about organic chemicals that are poisonous including alkaline.
“The nuts and leaves of the buckeye tree are moderately poisonous and should not be eaten,” said Garrett Ormiston from the renowned Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
“Ohio Buckeye (tree) is prevalent in Northeast Ohio, but it’s more common as you head further west in Ohio and they’re fairly uncommon in the eastern-most counties of NE Ohio,” Ormiston told Fox 8 News.
“Buckeye trees are found in large numbers at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Medina Sanctuary Preserve on the banks of the Rocky River,” Ormiston said.
The Ohio Buckeye tree was adopted as the Ohio State tree in 1953.
According to folklore, the buckeye or nuts that fall from the tree resemble the eye of a deer buck, and carrying one bringsgood luck. Maybe some Ohio State Buckeye fans will have one in their pockets when the Bucks battle the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor on Saturday at noon.
