Buckeye bloom

Monday
This is the bloom of the Ohio Buckeye tree, a relative of the horse chestnut. It differs from the horse chestnut in that it has five leaflets, whereas the horse chestnut usually has seven. The name "Buckeye" came from the Native Americans who noticed that the glossy, chestnut-brown seeds with the lighter circular "eye" looked very similar to the eye of a buck (male) deer. It is the state tree of Ohio, and Ohio is known as "the Buckeye State". There are various explanations put forward as to how this came to be. One obvious and commonly accepted explanation is that the nickname refers to the large number of buckeye trees native to Ohio. Another story is that it originated from the presidential campaign of General William Henry Harrison in 1840. A log cabin decorated with raccoon skins and a string of buckeyes became the symbol of Harrison's campaign. The following became his campaign song:

"Oh where, tell me where was your buckeye cabin made?
Twas built among the merry boys who wield the plough and spade,
Where the log cabins stand, in the bonnie buckeye shade.

Oh what, tell me what is to be your cabin's fate?
We'll wheel it to the capital and place it there elate,
for a token and a sign of the bonnie Buckeye state."

As a result, citizens of Ohio became known as "Buckeyes."

Another story claims it could have started at Marietta in 1788. An imposing procession, headed by the high sheriff Col. Ebenezer Sproat marched to Campus Martius Hall to open the first court in the Northwest Territory. Col. Sproat, large and well-proportioned, made a commanding appearance with his drawn sword.
He greatly impressed the Indians. In admiration, they dubbed him "Hetuch," their name for the eye of the buck deer. The nickname stuck and Col. Sproat became familiarly known as "Big Buckeye." Later the name was passed onto other Ohioans, and eventually the State.

In addition to the Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra), a second species, Yellow buckeye (Aesculus octandra), is also native to Ohio. As its name suggests, it has yellow blooms. The two species are very similar and difficult to distinguish. They can most easily be differentiated by the seed pod. The pod of the Ohio buckeye is warty, while the pod of the yellow buckeye is smooth.