Lake Rupert's Beauty in Fall

A Green Umbrella

A Hard Winter at Ash Cave

Large trees were down in many areas of Ash Cave
Park from the ice and wind of the winter.
The park workers clear the trees from the paths
and then leave the trees lay to rot and let nature
take care of them. It has been a good practice and
eventually the trees get covered with moss and
all kinds of toadstools and insects.
But when I was there and saw all of the trees than
had fallen over the winter it was just too many trees
lying around and it looked awful. It would be a chore
to get into them to haul them out but I believe they
should get rid of some of them.



This little Maple sapling was bent and held to the
ground by a larger fallen tree.
It was amazing to see that all along the trunk of the
sapling little leaves were forcing their way from
the trunk in an effort to survive and continue to grow.
Notice also behind it all of the limbs and branches that
were lying in the small creek that flows through the
park. I can see where hard rains and debris jamming
in the creek in the future is going to wash out the banks,
paths, and possibly the foot bridges if it is not removed.

Frantic Red Bellied Woodpecker

This Mama Red Bellied Woodpecker was raising such a ruckus
the other day that she got my attention.
She kept poking her head in the hole where her nest was
and backing back out and she was just frantic.
I walked over to observe what the problem was and out came
one of her eggs falling to the ground. I looked around and
spied yet another egg on the ground in the grass.
When I looked in the hole a Grackle was in her nest and was
tearing into the nest and eggs.





Well I do not like woodpeckers damaging my trees but the
Mama instinct in me got angry at the Grackle destroying her
eggs so off I went to get the BB gun.I ran back to see another
egg hit the ground.That made up my mind so I started shooting
into the hole at the Grackle and the pest came flying out of there.
After the terror of the nest flew off she settled
right down and went into the hole to inspect her nest.
I do not know how many eggs a woodpecker usually lays but I
am hoping she had more than three and that the Grackle did
not ruin all her eggs.




It is hard to stay mad at the woodpeckers for making holes in the
trees because the trees must be infested with bugs to start with
for the woodpeckers to go after. So maybe the trees would
eventually die or are dying anyway.
Sometimes we Mama's have to look out for one another.

Spring Time and Visitors

With the unfurling of new spring leaves on the trees
the opportunity to get some new pictures of the visitors
to the feeders was to good to pass up, so.....

Stand Of White Trunks

In the Hocking Hills area known as the "Salt Creek Narrows"
are stands of Birch trees along the valley's creek.

A Dry Fall

Hibernation

Tall Woods

If Trees Could Talk

Carved Initials, Remembrance or Destruction?

Does Moss Grow on the North Side?

Reflections

Beauty in Decay

In Death Life Continues

Grown from a fallen decaying tree.

Blue Sunrise

A View Through the Limbs

Sun Shining Through