See those thorns? That's called a "diagnostic feature". Typically the thorns run from 4 - 8 inches long. Not a tree you'd want to hug if you got lost. And not a tree you'd really want in your yard or pasture, either.
This is a honey locust. Those thorns are sharp enough to flatten your car tire, and can do real damage to a person, even when wearing thick boots. You can see why farmers consider this tree a menace.
Most honey locust trees have thorns, but a small percentage do not. There is also a thornless cultivated version, sold from nurseries.
The species name is Gleditsia Triacanthos, from the name of German botanist, Gottlieb Gleditsch, and Greek words meaning "three-spined". (The thorns often grow with three prongs.)
The thorns are green when new, red when mature, and grey as they become aged and brittle. All three can puncture your skin and leave you with a nasty wound.
The honey locust is actually part of the legume family. Consider it a gigantic pea plant. You are probably familiar with the long, leathery pods.
Their contents are eaten by foxes, squirrels, deer, and birds. They are also edible to humans. They have a sweet taste - hence the common name of "honey". If you get hungry, just be sure you don't mix the honey locust up with the black locust, whose fruit should NOT be eaten.
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