A box elder is a fast-growing tree common across North America, named for its leaves that resemble those of ash trees and its pale wood. The tree produces winged seeds that spin like little helicopters as they fall, and kids often split these seeds apart and stick them on their noses like rhino horns.

Box elders grow quickly in places other trees struggle, like vacant lots or along streams, which makes them popular for shade but sometimes considered weedy by gardeners. They rarely grow taller than 50 feet and often develop multiple trunks instead of one strong central trunk like an oak.

The tree is also famous for the box elder bug, a black-and-red insect that feeds on its seeds and often gathers in huge numbers on the sunny sides of houses in fall, looking for warm places to spend the winter. These bugs are harmless but can be a nuisance when hundreds show up on your porch.

Despite its reputation as a rough-and-tumble tree, the box elder serves an important purpose: it grows fast enough to provide quick shade and shelter, stabilizes soil along riverbanks, and its soft wood was once carved into bowls and other simple objects by Indigenous peoples across the Great Plains.