I’m not generally much of a philosopher, but it’s kind of hard not to be looking at this long dead oak tree and seeing all the life that it supports. The first thing you probably notice is the beautiful green vine growing all over the tree, taking advantage of some of the no longer needed nutrients from the tree’s remains. Then, you probably notice the hole near the top of what’s left of the tree. Right now, it’s not in use, but over the years it has housed several families of birds including Eastern bluebirds and later, when the hole got larger, pileated woodpeckers. What you cannot see is all the insects that have thrived while finding shelter and food in that old tree. But if you look carefully you can see lots of woodpecker holes, which indicates how many insects there are. In this photo you can’t see them, but this tree also has a healthy population of fungi and lichens that grow on it. I haven’t seen them, but I’m sure there are also field mice, snakes, anoles, and lots of other small creatures that also use that old tree for shelter and possibly even for food. So there you have it, the philosophy of the circle of life all wrapped up in an old, dead tree.

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