Black Walnut Flowers

Now is the time when the walnut tree by my front door drops flowers.  The caterpillar shaped flowers cover my sidewalk.  I can sweep and the sidewalk is covered again in 12 hours. I sweep them so they stay out of the house. These flowers cling to my shoes and get all over the place. If I leave them on the sidewalk they eventually stain the cement a brown color.  While I like the smell of black walnuts, black walnut husks, black walnut leaves and black walnut trees in general, the smell of black walnut flowers resting on top of my rain barrel makes the water smell dank and nasty.