A Woodpecker Tree in My Natural Lawn

The woodpecker tree that was "planted" in my backyard by my husband, sons, and daughter's boyfriend several weeks ago is one my proudest possessions. Working to reverse the environmental impact of the modern lawn, I am a promoter of natural landscaping. Sure, I know that I am engineering "natural" for now. But I can see, after nearly three years, that soon I will be rewarded for the hours that it has taken to re-create my yard in a manner that will contribute, in a small way, to the near-term survival of our species. Shortly, my yard time will be spent in simple maintenance tasks ... including pulling the English ivy, Japanese stilt grass, and other non-natives that creep over from my neighbors' yards.

The woodpecker tree was once part of a tall and old white oak tree. Our suburb was developed out of disused James City County farmland about 50 years ago and my house is on the edge of it, in the headwaters of a creek that feeds the James River. So we are blessed (or cursed, depending upon your fear of hurricanes and nor'easters) with lovely trees that sprouted about the time of the Civil War. The guys from Johnny Timbers called the branch that became my woodpecker tree "a tree growing out of a tree." It stretched out to shade my entire back yard and its weight frightened my daughter, whose bedroom is on the back of the house, for many years. Finally, after a nor'easter brought a tree down on my neighbors house I enlisted the arborists to relieve the parent tree of its excessive weight. They said they would saw it up and take it away, but I said no, as I envisioned turning it into a woodpecker tree. They laughed.

Why woodpecker trees? Cavity nesting birds like bluebirds and chickadees nest in tree cavities created by other critters, like woodpeckers. Unfortunately, inhabitants of the suburbs don't leave too many dead trees standing. Nest boxes help, but in order to attract more birds to my lawn, I need trees with holes in them. Voila! I can enhance my suburban "natural" lawn with dead wood.

My woodpecker tree provides hours of free entertainment as I watch the squirrels and birds climb and perch. I smear it with a little Birdacious Bark Butter and the wildlife love it even more.

The woodpecker seen in the photo above is a downy woodpecker ... or is it a hairy woodpecker? I wish I could learn to tell these two apart! The hairy is the larger of the two and I believe the one seen here is a hairy. Or maybe it's a downy ... Argh.