We continued on with exploring. Of course, we might find some interesting stuff. In fact, I can’t think of a time when there hasn’t been good stuff to find. Thus, expectations are always high!
First, a big ole oak stands among the saplings.
Next, this oak was in a tangle. I suppose that it was friendlier than the one above. 😉 At least, the vines thought so.
Sticking out of the burl of the above oak was embedded barbwire. So perhaps the wire was at least partially responsible for the burl.
However, wire was not the cause of the knobs above on this oak. “According to Kevin Smith, Supervisory Plant Physiologist with the United States Forest Service, “a burl is the result of hyperplasia, a greatly abnormal proliferation of xylem production by the vascular cambium.”1 In other words, it is likely that some sort of infection by bacteria, viruses (yes, trees get viruses, too), fungi, or insects causes the tree to respond with highly irregular wood growth. The exact mechanism that causes burl formation is not fully understood.” (The Mystery of Tree Burls)
Next, a Downy Woodpecker searched for a meal. The Downy can be id’d by its petite beak. So the Hairy Woodpecker is very similar but has a longer beak.
Of course this was fossilized dolphin! LOL
Four points! That was all we could say about this antler. However, I found there are different methods for counting points on deer. There are Eastern and Western Count methods. The Eastern Count uses both antlers for the count. The Western method use only one antler. If there was a different number of points on each antler, you might say it was 4×5 buck on the Western Count. In the east it would be 9-point buck. Kathy confirmed the Eastern Count method is used in Texas. Thanks Kathy!
Laying on the ground, the underside of a broken skull. So this looks like a mask to me.
Turning it to a different angle, we took note of the little knob. so it was a male creature. Jeanne thought young buck. However, after pondering it further at home, I wondered if the western jackalopes have moved into the area? Just think about it, we have not had much rain in the overall scheme of things.
Indeed, I may have thought too much about the stuff we saw. However, when you seek to identify stuff, usually the simplest answer is often the right answer. So perhaps…jackalope. LOL
Thanks for the article about burls – still a mystery!
Jackalopes. Yes! 😉
I love the dolphin rock – saw that immediately. I’m always watchful for jackalopes…:)
Maybe the wire cut tree, it got infected? Very interesting either way. Glad you liked the article, a coworker shared it.
Please thank your coworker!