The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place where we share our observations about the natural world. Whether we note the spring migrating birds or the first buds on your trees, we are building a resource to learn more about the patterns of nature and how they may be changing. Everyone is welcome to contribute! Just tell us what you are seeing in your backyard or wherever you are roaming and approximately where your observations come from.
The more I try to look carefully at the nature around me, it seems the more often I'm stumped by what I see. It is nice to have a community to ask where someone might have the answer or, at least, know of a good resource to find it. So, if you've been stumped in trying to ID something or have just wondered
why that critter does that, this is the bucket for you. Here's a chance to ask those questions about life, the universe, and everything.
OK, the real excuse for this bucket is that we've found a new park in which to walk the dogs that contains lots of interesting stumps. Western Washington is rich in the legacy of its logging past (and present - there are signs of a pending timber sale nearby). Left behind are huge stumps like this one:
It is serving as a nurse stump for the trees that have sprouted on its top. It also has an interesting notch 2/3 of the way up. There is a mirror notch on the opposite side. Could it be that those notches held springboards for the loggers who cut the tree down?
In the olden days, the loggers would set up springboards about five feet long but only six inches wide to stand on to cut the tree above the swell of the base where the roots spread out. Sometimes, they did this because they had to climb up to a point where the trees were stable enough to cut and narrow enough to accommodate their saws that maxed out at 12 feet in length.
Here's another one with a substantial tree growing out of it. Once the stump rots away (not that this appears to be an immediate problem), will those roots be able to support the tree?
As I said, the stumps are just an excuse. This is a bucket for any observations you may have, whether you are stumped about them or not. What are you seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, and/or tasting of your natural surroundings? Don't hesitate to contribute if you do happen to be stumped - we've all been there (we wouldn't be learning otherwise)!