Bitternut Hickory / Girdled

Here is a Bitternut hickory that has a girdle mark about 15 feet in the air. The only explanation I can think of is a vine that wrapped around the tree at one point. I noticed that it wasn't girdled completely around the tree.

Fallen Shagbark Hickory

Stand of Black Willow

Photo of Black willow along the Missouri river.

Below is a photo of while I am hiking to the forest. It is further up the bank.

A carpet of cottonwood is next to this stand. It must of seeded in during a different flood.

I came across this area again with the water at least 10 feet higher. Notice the tops of the Cottonwood trees. The stems in front of the Cottonwood are Willow. This has been a good place for devotions because of a log I would sit on. Now I wonder if that log will still be there, or will it be moved down the river by the flood? There would be an indigo bunting that would greet me when I came there.

Willow can withstand flooding for a long time.

Matthew 7:25
"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

Just as willow is made to withstand flooding so we can withstand the tests of life as we have Jesus within us.


Article of Black Willow forest

Here is a photo showing the stems of a Black willow stand.

Fallen Hackberry

I came across this fallen Hackberry.

As I looked at the base of the tree there was a lot of rot.

Looking at the other side I could see how this tree seemed to be a vibrant tree with all the rot in the bole.

There is life when sap get up the bole and on one side there was life. It came be the same in the spiritual. We may seem to be vibrant but part of our life has rot in it. When the tests of life come our sin will cause us to crash. Life can't be lived with compromise. Health is required for a vibrant life.

A tree can't solve the rot in its bole. But we can get rid of the sin our life by confessing it and turning away and following God.

Searching for Ash

I was driving by a bluff outcropping. I took some photos of 2 trees that were opposite muliti leaved. But I could not tell if they were ash or not or which type of ash. 

Later I hiked up on top of the bluff. I fought my way through some Asian bush honeysuckle. When I came to the trees I saw they were ash.

Finding a seed on the gound I will use that as the method of IDing these trees.

Its white ash.

Getting there is half the fun. There were trails but I shyed away from on the cliff edge.
Here is the wolf tree Chinquipin that I have posted earlier. I went by it looking for the Ash trees near the blufs edge. I had posted about this tree earlier.  Link to prior post.


Here is a link showing the difference between 4 major ash trees you can compare the seeds

Here are some pointers on collecting ash seeds.

Here is a link that helps you decipher if a tree is an ash tree.

Here is another link that helps distingues ash from other common similar trees.

Hike in Pioneer Woods

Hiking in a field that is reverting back to forest there is gray dogwood and E red cedar. The area has a nice cedar smell, which gives an accepting feeling. Of course the preponderance of E red cedar means the ground leaves something to be desired. yet I enjoyed walking through this inviting fragrance. I thought of tying up my hammock and reading in these woods.





Then I came across an oak tree that I call a Turkey oak because of the thin shaped lobes on the leaves.

 But more likely its a Pin oak or Scarlet oak.

While I was looking for the Turkey oak I saw a Chinquipin oak that I rough meausured at 10' circumferance. I want to check to see if there is a larger tree in my records. Going back to my records I have not run across a Chinquipin oak with this big a circumference. I will go back and measure to see its value in tree points. The largest one I have seen is on the same slope as this tree.

Hike after Heavy Rain

Jill was a trooper and hiked with me after heavy rain.

Here is the water running down the trail.





We find our way out of the woods

Buck

I came upon this buck as I was hiking into a Black willow forest. I will share about the Willow forest next time.


I did not notice the growing antlers until I looked at the photos on my camera.


On this photo I was moving closer to see what the buck will do. He turned to see me better. I was using some branches to partially hide and shooting with a telephoto through the branches. Just after this photo he walked off to the left.

Catalpa Flowers

Hike Photos

Here are some photos of my hike a couple of Saturdays ago. We start by crossing a couple of creeks.

Then we come to an eight stem basswood tree. Basswood often grows in multi stem clumps. It is a soft wood tree and the bark grows in veritcle furrows.

Then we come to the leaning Chinquipin oak tree. I have measured this tree. It is where I leave the trail and go into the woods. Of course the winter woods are much easier to negotiate than these summer woods. But we make it through.




We go through some thick Asian Honeysuckle bush. This stuff is so thick that I have to get down on my hands and knees to get through. My dog of course does not understant this. She just goes right on under



We cross a trail and continue down a dear trail to we come to the trail I am looking for.






We get to my bench which I use as a place for devotions and paryer. It is a two stemed Bur oak.


Next to bench is the Shag bark hickory. this tree is not big but I enjoy watching it. It is like life where usually there is nothing. Life is sometimes dull. And if we don't pay attention there will be no advancement. With dullness we can be spectators in life. I try to break out of dullness by participating in life and not spectating. We learn not by listening in a seminar but by doing. If we do what we learn that is good. If we ignore what we learn it is a waste of time. the Bible is like this. I learn a lot from books sermons etc. yet I hadn't done much. These past few years I decided to go with doing over listening.


After this we head home.

Devotions at Black Willow Forest

I came to these woods along the Missouri river to have devotions. I read the 3 chapters of Titus. It was good just sitting and watching the wind go through the leaves. I saw an Indigo Bunting. All blue. But time marches on and I had to leave. I had been near here before and I definitely want to return to this site. God is good and I enjoy being still in the handiwork He has made.

The goodness of God continues to be with me. Thank you Lord for your wonderful works to the children of men.

Willow will dominate an area that is prone to flooding. Another species that thrives here is cottonwood. Willow has an edge on Cottonwood in flood areas. Cottonwood has an edge on the amount of seeds it puts out. I was looking at the sky near here yesterday and it was full of contwood seeds. It almost looked like it was snowing.

Purple Martin Houses

Purple Martin's eat a lot of mosquitoes. For this reason man has built houses to have these birds close by.

Hike Before the Storm

Starting our hike we come across what looks like some watercress.


Not realizing a storm was brewing we go deeper into the trail. The bank is eaten away further down and we inch by but have no problem getting through.


Beautiful fluffy colouds are moving in.


Now the storm is starting to make itself known. Jill is a good trooper and hikes out while it is pouring down rain. She had fun and that is the main thing. Because we will again find ourselves in another hike with bad weather.