Find a Dying Tree in the Forest - BE A NATURALIST! LOOK and FEEL to OBSERVE the stages of a DYING TREE, a STANDING SNAG and a ROTTING LOG
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SOFO
EXHIBIT FIELD GUIDE
Find a Dying Tree
in the Forest
BE A NATURALIST!
LOOK and FEEL to OBSERVE the stages of a
DYING TREE, a STANDING SNAG and a ROTTING LOG
LIFT
DYING TREE STANDING SNAG ROTTING LOGA DYING TREE in the FOREST
LOOK! Why is this tree
dying?
This tree is still alive,
but several things have
begun to weaken it. First,
something such as a
falling limb or lightning
strike broke the protective
covering of bark. Then the
natural recycling process
of decomposition began.
DYING TREE Can you find what hit LIGHTNING SCAR
this tree, and where?
Should we cut it down?
no!
Weather, fungi, birds, insects, and nesting
creatures will kill this tree, but the process
of dying and decomposition may take 50
RACCOON IN DYING TREE
years or more. Even after the tree is dead
its useful existence will be only half over.
More than 1,200 species of birds, mammals,
amphibians and reptiles depend on standing
dead or fallen trees for their survival.
Over 60% of the species that live in dying trees eat
insects. They act as a natural control on insects that
would otherwise destroy fruit trees and hardwoods or
spread diseases to humans and animals.A DYING TREE in the FOREST
LOOK: What lives in a
dying tree?
On this tree, you can see
a colony of mushrooms
called Honey Fungus.
Mushrooms are the
HONEY FUNGUS
reproductive organs of
microscopic fungi that live inside trees.
Fungi soften wood, making it easier for
insects to bore egg-laying holes.
DYING TREE
Red-bellied Woodpeckers peck
holes in the softened wood, looking for
insects. These holes allow more fungi
and insects to enter the tree.
RED-BELLLIED
WOODPECKER
Chipmunks search for
nuts or insects in the tree.
Sometimes they enlarge
woodpecker nests and
move in themselves. EASTERN CHIPMUNK
Raccoons raise their family
of “kits” in a dying tree. They
may move into an abandoned
RACCOON squirrel nest.
Barn Owls are raptors that hunt mice at
night. They live in holes in the dying tree
and help keep the small rodent population
under control. BARN OWLA STANDING SNAG in the FOREST
LOOK: What lives in a
standing snag?
A standing snag is a dead tree
that has not yet fallen down.
Little Brown Bats
roost during the day
under loose bark or in
STANDING SNAG holes of standing snags.
One bat can eat 600-
1,000 mosquitoes
per hour! LITTLE
BROWN BAT
Opossums
are marsupials, like
female kangaroos, opossums
have a pouch for carrying and
nursing their young. The opossum
OPOSSUM
looks fierce because it has more teeth
(50) in its mouth than any other North
American mammal, but it is really shy
and nocturnal.
The Great Crested Flycatcher
builds a nest in an abandoned
woodpecker hole because it cannot
dig out its own. Great Crested
Flycatchers always weave a shed
snake skin into the nest. It is not
known why.
GREAT CRESTED
FLYCATCHER
LIFT the bark to discover beetle and Carpenter Ant galleries.A STANDING SNAG in the FOREST
EXPLORE: What made the holes in the
standing snag?
Hairy Woodpeckers
make a nest a foot deep,
lined with wood chips,
in a standing snag. Wood-
peckers eat destructive
HAIRY
insects, including wood- WOODPECKER
A STANDING SNAG IS A DEAD
TREE THAT HAS NOT YET boring beetles that lay their eggs
FALLEN DOWN.
under the bark of healthy trees.
Carpenter Bees make round holes about
1⁄2 inch in diameter on the undersides of
branches or wooden boards. They bore
into the wood and hollow out egg-laying
tunnels, which can be as much as a foot long. CARPENTER BEE
What’s eating this standing snag ?
Bark Beetles eat wood
and form distinctive
channels under the bark.
BARK BEETLE
Carpenter Ants do not eat wood.
They use their strong jaws to dig
galleries and then carry away the
excavated wood. Ant colonies live
BARK BEETLE CARPENTER ANT
CHANNELS and raise their young in those galleries.
LIFT the bark to discover Bark Beetle channels.A ROTTING LOG in the FOREST
This is a
rotting log.
A dead tree finally falls,
brought down by wind or
decay after a fungus has
weakened its roots. Fungi
are an essential agent in
the woodland life-cycle
that decompose dead plant
matter and release their
ROTTING LOG
nutrients into the soil so
that plants can use them. Over about ten years the log
gradually decomposes into a mound of rich, black earth,
helped along by hundreds of living organisms.
Should we clear it?
no!
The once tall tree has completed its life-cycle. In the
process it has provided a home and food for thousands of
creatures. Even after it has decayed to soil, worms work
their way through the grains, helping rainwater to enter
and deliver rich nutrients to the roots of new, young ,
growing trees.
LIFT the bark to discover animals who live in the ROTTING LOG.A ROTTING LOG in the FOREST
Things to Find.
What is hiding in the
rotting log?
Grubs, the worm-like larvae of some
insects, are born in wood, which they
eat until they change into their adult form.
The rotting log holds moisture,
GRUB
which creates an ideal micro-climate
for salamanders, which
need moisture to survive.
EASTERN TIGER SPOTTED
SALAMANDER SALAMANDER
The Ring Neck Snake lives in the log
and eats grubs, pill bugs and worms.
Arthropods like centipedes and
RING NECK
SNAKE millipedes live in and under
logs and eat other insects.
White-Lipped Forest Snails
are plant-eaters that help
decompose fallen leaves. MILLIPEDE
Slugs go out at night to eat
WHITE-LIPPED
FOREST SNAIL all kinds of plant matter and
leave a silvery, slimey trail.
If you look at a slug closely,
you can see marks where its
SLUG
ancestors used to have a shell.
LIFT the bottom panel to discover animals who live under the ROTTING LOG.You can also read
