If you've ever taken a fall foliage walk in the woods and wondered what tree could produce such amazing shades of deep purple, yellow, red and peachy-orange, you're probably gazing at white ash.  Better take a picture - white ash is very eager to shed its leaves, generally earlier than other trees.  Once devoid of leaves, it's easy to observe the bark - a medium gray color that has a distinct, beautiful diamond shaped pattern.  The oar-shaped seeds are an important food source for quail, songbirds and rodents. For additional information regarding the biological and ecological characteristics of white ash, click here.

The wood of white ash is valuable for tool handles, furniture making and baseball bats.  Remember ash next time you hear that distinctive **crack** of the bat that tells of a homerun!

The pair of white ashes shown are growing on the west side of Hamilton-Smith hall.  Click here for a list of other campus white ash locations, as well as its cousin green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)