Corylus cornuta

Native from British Columbia to Quebec south to Illinois and Georgia, beaked hazel is a small, suckering, deciduous shrub that grows 4-8’ tall and as wide. It is typically found in rich thickets, woodland borders, along streams and in clearings. Female fruit is a hard edible nut (to 1/2” long) enclosed in a leafy, hairy, light green husk. It is believed to be the primary food plant of the exceedingly rare Early Hairstreak Erora laeta. Caterpillars feed on nuts, initially the husk in early instars and later boring inside. Most of the year is spent as pupae, probably in the leaf litter