buckeye trees - friend or foe

We have this large buckeye tree at the corner of our yard and the nice thing about it is the shade it provides on the west side of the house and the beautiful blossom it produces each spring.

However, after the blossoms fall these little green "things" form later become a nuisance. The squirrels feast upon these green fruits and drop the pods in the grass . Said pods must be raked before mowing. If that were the end of the story we could probably live with it but the buckeyes remaining on the tree until maturity become winter food for the squirrels which plant them all over the yard. Now I don't begrudge a hungry squirrel from storing for the winter, in fact I marvel at their instincts that dictate such preparation. So what is the problem? Those cute little rascals sate themselves at the birdfeeder when the snow flies and forget all about the food they have stored. The result is buckeye trees growing in all the flower pots, rose bed, veggie garden and anywhere there is a bit of dirt. Those baby trees have long roots and must be dug out; no quick jerk to dislodge these guys.

I said all of that to explain today's photos. Last year I came up with the idea of snipping the fruit from the tree before the squirrels find it. Seldom do my yard-ideas fly here but this one did. Husband and son gave the buckeye tree a good trim and all is well in the buckeye tree/squirrel saga.