The Felling of a Mighty Oak Tree

   Back between the original greenhouse and the shed, there stands the remnants of a tall oak tree.  The tree stood strong through hundreds of storms only to fall to a tiny bug.  Insects can do more damage than the raging hurricane sometimes.  A couple of years back, Son noticed that a lot of our living oak trees were infested with termites.  Yep....living trees.  This was a bit disturbing, to say the least.  He set to work trying to save the trees by using the same spray that we have had to resort to for the house, shed and any other outbuildings around here.  As much as I hate to use chemicals around the place, there comes a time when it is absolutely necessary if we want to save the place.  So, he mixed his concoction and set to work.  Well, that was a lot of work as we have a lot of trees.  Some, like the aforementioned one, were too far gone to try to save.  He still sprayed thinking maybe he could contain the infestations. Hopefully.

 Needless to say, the tree died and was soon infested not only with the termites but with black carpenter ants that were eating the termites.  We quit spraying to allow the ants to do their job.  They worked tirelessly in the dead tree but were, at the same time, preyed upon by the woodpeckers.  The entire tree soon became riddled with the drillings of the birds.  The food chain was at work.  Soon, the tree started falling bit by bit. Now, a new form of life has come to the old tree.  On one of the upper parts of the tree, there is a large hole that appears to be the nesting site of either the pileated woodpecker or a family of squirrels.  Down below among the roots, lizards, snails and beetles are enjoying life hidden under the palmettoes and shards of tree bark.

  While out back, I noticed that bracket or shelf mushrooms are rapidly taking down the tree.  The entire southern side of the tree is literally a ladder of orange mushrooms.  These mushrooms are doing the final takedown of the old oak tree.  The fungi will rot the tree as it, itself, thrives.  Soon, the old oak will come tumbling down and that will be the end of it.  However, in the meantime, the tree, even in death, is providing for the life of others.  

A Handy Stairway?

  On the stroll to the pier this morning, one of the groundsel bushes seemed a bit off.  Several of the main stalks were bare of leaves and had what appeared to be a hefty growth of oyster shells going up the side!   Nope, not oyster shells at all but a type of mushroom.  The shelf mushrooms had formed a virtual "ladder" up the tree trunk as if to give an easy escape from high tide for any faeries that may live under the pier.  I figure that is probably a good thing since we do not want our pier faeries trapped by high water!

  Actually, this is not the best news for the groundsel bush.  When this type of mushroom is seen growing on the main trunk of any tree, it is quite a dire situation for that tree.  These usually only grow on dead or dying trees. Even if they are found on a live tree, somehow that tree has been weakened to the point that it is about to die.  The mushrooms are sort of Mother Nature's cleanup crew as they slowly draw any nutrients they need from the dead tree causing it to decay much faster.  In a weird sort of way, I find that a comforting thought.  At least, the tree did not die in vain.  Life goes on in the form of the mushrooms.

  As I walked passed the small shrub, I reached out and snapped off the tip of the branch.  Yep, the bush had already died.  Happily, the other shrubs seem to be healthy and happy.  They soon will be covered with the groundsel bush beetle larvae and many other insects.  This will cause the birds of the area to go into a feeding frenzy on the bushes.  Marsh life...only for the hardy.

Cleaning up the Woods!

  Behind the house far down below the cane brake, is a wooded area. This includes the creekbed that stems off of the Bayou.  The creek runs from miles up north of us and finally dwindles to a mere trickle through our place.  During especially rainy seasons, this trickle escalates into a full blown running creek.  I love it when it is like this.  Hearing the water as it splashes over the roots and moss mounds, watching  the water as it makes new rivulets around the clumps of palmettos and just knowing that my critter friends are thankful to have a ready drinking spot all makes for happy times.  This area is also home to a lot of downed tree limbs and even some entire trees.  It is not my habit to clear out the woods as these branches and logs make handy homes for so many creatures.  At times, though, the sheer amount of fallen debris makes it difficult to find a path if one wants to hike in the woods.  This is where Mother Nature takes control.

  Just recently, I wrote about the Turkey Tail Mushrooms.  These are just one of a bunch of mushrooms called the polypore mushrooms and are so called because they create spores in little tubelike structures instead of having gills.  Included in this group are the bracket fungi.  A bracket fungus sort of resembles an oyster shell plastered to the side of a tree or log.  Shelf fungus, bracket fungus, polypores...all are basically the same. The good news is that these mushrooms are sort of the janitors of the fungus world.  They help to clean up dead wood.  Bad news is that they can and do sometimes infect live trees.  But to be honest here, the live trees found with the fungus are, more than likely, already weakened from some other disease.  The fungus is merely hastening the demise of an otherwise unhealthy tree.  

  On our walk today, Mark and I found some bracket mushrooms growing on one of the Bay Trees that grow near the marsh edge.  While I am not sure of the identity of this fungus, it was quite interesting.  Near the marsh edge is the perfect spot for the mushrooms as it stays relatively damp and shady.  While I am saddened that our little Bay Tree is obviously going to meet its demise soon, I fully understand.  The constant battering from the extreme high tides and strong winds of late possibly have damaged the little tree beyond hope.  It is time for Mother Nature's janitors to get to work and clear the area.  In the meantime, I do think the mushrooms are quite pretty!

The Prankster and the Bread Tree!

Down by the pier, there is an old oak stump that has needed to be removed from the lawn for quite some time.  It has been there since a hurricane knocked down the tree.  The log was used as firewood but the stump remained to rot out on its own.  Now, years later, a fungus is helping to remove the stump!  A large clump of Bracket or Shelf Fungi is growing on the south side of the old stump.  It is quite large and is doing a great job of decaying the wood.  Bracket Fungi often grows in semicircle shapes stacked one on top of the other on the sides of trees, logs, stumps or any woody debris.  This habit makes it appear to be shelving or steps when growing on a tree! Some of the fungi are actually tough enough to use as a ladder if one is careful when climbing.  (Son tried this!)  Most are not large enough but ones like the Ganoderma are quite sturdy!  I do believe that this might be a Ganoderma!

When I spied the Shelf Fungi growing on the old stump, it took me back a few years to a time when the children were young.  Growing up on the Bayou, they were always exploring the woods or marshes.  My oldest son, Mark, was always the leader.  He was knowledgeable about so many things around the place and kept a careful eye out for any danger.  I never had any worries about the other two following along on these treks. I never had any worries until....they came home to inform me that bread grows on trees! Huh?  Bread does not grow on trees!  He had told the two younger ones that the Shelf Fungi was actually bread and that it would be good to eat! I was so happy to hear that his story was met with a chorus of "Ewwws!" from the younger two!  Now true, some Bracket Fungi are edible but I am not in the habit of letting my kids eat just any mushroom that grows in the woods!  From that point on, I made a point of telling each of them never..ever..to eat anything that they did not bring to me first!  Yep..my son, Mark, was and still is a great prankster and can tell you something with such a straight face that you want to believe him no matter how far-fetched the story is!  

Back to the Shelf Fungi and the old stump...it looks as if the stump will be removed by nature in the next few months.  It has become brittle with large chunks breaking off easily.  This winter, Michael can wield the ax to it an finish up the job that the Bracket Fungi began.  This is one of the miracles of nature at work making life easier for the rest of us!   Now..if I can just find that tree that grows bread...hmmmm!