Thursday, September 4, 2014

The Busy Dogwood Tree

The dogwood tree just outside the kitchen window is pretty in spring with its 4-petaled white blossoms.  Now, at the end of summer, it is full of ripening round fruit.

Sunday, I spent a couple of hours at the table reading and writing, and activity in the dogwood was bustling.  First, I noticed a young grackle hopping through the branches.  Different birds, including robins and cardinals, came and went.  A dark colored gray squirrel scampered through the branches. I was impressed by the amount of activity, but none of it surprised me.

Then, scampering along one of the higher branches, I saw a smaller animal with a short skinny tail.  An eastern ground squirrel - what I grew up calling a chipmunk - up here in the tree.

I was struck by the variety of animals using the tree, in a relatively short time in the middle of the day, and I'm sure there are dozens (at least) of insects and spiders that dwell there too.

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