Beeches and Bluebirds

A recent post of mine was called "Looking on the Bright Side".  Well, most of the brightness of the trees is gone now here.  The post after that was about American Chestnut trees, which isn't exactly a happy story.  As I've been considering what to write about next, the Beech trees were talking to me, saying "tell our story, too".  Unfortunately most of what I could think to write about them isn't a very happy story either, so I've been putting it off.  This morning, though, something cheerful happened and I decided I could include that to brighten your day afterall.

First, the beeches.  The young beeches hold onto their leaves for a long time... sometimes most of the winter.  When I went for a walk last Sunday in the wind and snow flurries, the beeches were really fluttering!  I hope you can hear them in the video.  

Beeches are a predominant tree in our woods.  Unfortunately, like the American Chestnuts were years ago, they are being affected by disease.  

It's a disease which is started by an insect (Beech scale) that penetrates the bark, allowing a fungus to enter, which begins to kill the tree.  You can read more details about it here. 

It seems to have affected most of the Beech trees in our woods.  It's good for the birds that forage for insects under bark, like the woodpeckers and brown creepers.  Or those who make their nests in cavities in dead trunks.  Of course, not so good for the trees themselves.

The trunk eventually gets so weakened (whether they have Pileated Woodpecker holes in them or not!) that the top breaks off and falls to the ground.

These provide good lookout spots for the chipmunks while they have a snack.

There still are some trees which don't look infected.  See the nice smooth bark on this tree.

It's surrounded by diseased trees, so maybe it's resistant.

I hope so!

Now, a success story.... the Eastern Bluebirds.  They were dying out, too, quite a few years ago.  But with a little help from lots of people who put up special houses for them, they have made a huge comeback!  I looked out our window this morning, and was very happy to see this little family.

There are two male and two female Bluebirds in this photo (one is partly hidden behind the lower left corner of the box).  Also, a pair of House Finches came to see what was going on!

They brightened my day and I hope they do yours!