Spring's Ebbs and Flows

Another fun guy.
dwm photo

Walk through a forest in the spring and its easy to see the dead trees.

Standing dead timber becomes home to Woodpeckers, Owls, Squirrels, and bugs.  Lots of insects.

The fallen trees become an even better resource on the forest floor.

Plants absorb the moisture in the rotting wood wringing it into new life.

As the trees rot, the nutrients re-enter the soil.

Fungus, introduced to the trees with air-borne spores or by insect, becomes a food source for wildlife.

Over time, the tree might break apart.  It might act as a barrier to erosion as it diverts water running downhill.  Animals find places to live in hollow logs.

Eventually, the tree is dust, absorbed into the soil where it nurtures an emerging seedling into a spring all its own.