Snags - Nature's Birdhouses & More

Snags are trunks of dead trees usually with the top missing.

As trees die, the brittle smaller branches of the canopy continuously break off in the wind,

slowly whittling the tree down to just the trunk.

The open tops provide perfect nesting places for owls, opossum and raccoons.

The decaying wood attracts insects which provide food for wildlife.

Squirrels take up residence in the hollow trunk.

 The cracks provide warm roosting places for small birds and bats in the winter.

 

 

Eventually the tree collapses.

But it still provides habitat & food for wildlife.

Mice, chipmunks and snakes seek refuge in the hollow log.

 Ferns, mosses,

and fungi all utilize it.

Next time you see a snag, maybe you'll see it in a different light.

Have a Serene Sunday

Snow!

First flurries of the season!  Brrrrr!

The Tenacity of Trees

Trees have a fortitude to overcome obstacles that obstruct their growth.

I've found a few strange ones on the ranch.

This is a burl.

Burls are tree growths where the grain has grown in a deformed manner.

This tree was wrapped by a vine, but continued to grow.

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This tree was part of a fenceline.

This one is also growing around the wire fence.

This tree has a deformed root which looks like a burlap sack sitting at its base.

This group of sassafras trees have strange cracks and bulges in the bark.
I'm not sure what caused it.  Any ideas?

Sunset & Moon

Sunset on November 2nd

Putting horses up for the night

Moon, early morning on November 3rd

Going down to turn out and clean stalls

The Snowbirds are Back

Unlike their human counterparts who flock to tropical climes,

our avian snowbird, the junco, spends its winters right here in Indiana.

 The Dark-eyed Junco migrates to the Midwest from its breeding grounds in Canada.

 

It is a plucky little bird that seems oblivious to our winter weather.

It spends most of its time on the ground foraging for seeds and visiting feeders.

 

 

The arrival of this cheerful hardy bird means that winter is on its way.

Trick or Treat at the Barn

They'll do anything for apples!

Tag, the mythical unicorn

The  magical wizard, Jazz

Rocky, the Wood Sprite

(He is NOT a fairy!)