Honeysuckle mixed with River grape and Mulberries

Honeysuckle mixed with River Grape













Birds eating an abundance of Mulberries

Osage Orange and River Grape

These Osage orange stems to the left were obvious when I was walking by this past Monday. I had gone into the woods for a rest and got this photo as I was headed out.

The river grape on the right is about the same size but it's not a tree and if you cut it you will see there is not strength to it. I was reading in Ezekiel 15 today of God referring to the nation of Israel as a useless grape stem. The grape stem has no strength to it and will not burn well. There is no density and its only purpose is to get the vine further up the host plant.

God is saying in this passage that we are to follow God and not our desires to have idols in our life. Idols today can be things we value more than Jesus. We should always put God first in our life and serve Him before we do things for ourself. 

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

Black Willow Wolf Tree

I ran across this Black willow tree in an urban setting. It is a wolf tree because it occupies a small lot all by itself. I have seen other Black willow trees that grow like this when they don't face any competition.

Spicebush Swollow Tail Butterfly

I saw this Spicebush Swollowtail butterfly as I was leaving my lunch hike. Last Monday. At first I just noticed the thistle but as I got closer I realized there was a butterfly on the thistle. I grabbed my camera and got this photo. I was able to ID this butterfly with this google link to Missouri butterflies.

Canada Geese

Waling along the Missouri river I was coming upon a couple of Canada geese. I was expecting them to fly away because of my approach. They stayed put and I spoike to them saying I would not bother them. lol they were probably from a city park that decided to check out the Missouri river. So they were used to people coming by.

Hike among E Red Cedar

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 somthing 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.

While I was looking for the Turkey oak I saw a Chinquipin oak that I rough meausured at 10' circumferance.

Bank Swallows

I was taking a lunch break at the Missouri river and this guy came to greet me.

Later others came to join him.



 I was wondering if they were they barn or cliff? They are bank swallows, because of the band across the breast.

Willow swamp and Great Blue Heron

My favorite willow swamp. Missouri river has been up. As I was sitting there I did not see any birds. I was wondering if I should leave and a Great Blue heron came swooping in. It landed across the way covered with brush. I could not tell where it was with the glassed on it. It flew off about 5 minutes later.

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.