What do you know Wednesday ~ Walnut

What do you know about Walnut and why it was used in barns? ⠀
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Barns are built with a diverse mixture of species like Walnut. Walnut is a common wood used in the building of barns. There are 21 species in the Walnut family. The variety of walnut we typically use is English Walnut and Black Walnut. Walnut is a beautiful, strong and versatile wood.

The wood ranges in color from light to dark brown to chocolate brown and sometimes can have a grey, purple or reddish cast. Sapwood is pale yellow-grey. The color of Walnut varies and is also affected by the area in which it grows. Walnut wood is warm and rich in color and polishes to a very smooth finish, making it ideal for furniture making and carving.

Walnut is a fine-grained hardwood that is dense and shock resistant. The end grain is semi-ringed and porous with large pores and distinct growth rings that are usually straight, but irregular grain patterns such as curl, crotch, and burl are also seen.
Walnut is typically easy to work with as long as the grain is straight and regular. Walnut responds well to glues, stains, and finishes. Black walnut has a faint to mild odor when being worked on, and is rated as very durable and resistant to decay, but is susceptible to insect activity.