Tree Art #1

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Tree Art #1

Tree Art #1

I'm sure someone who knows something about botany could explain the creation of these marks, but I thought they bore some resemblance to many of the petroglyphs I have seen in Utah. This log was along the Hazel Mountain Trail. Shenandoah National Park, VA-- February 2007.
Bob Sihler
on Mar 2, 2008 7:37 pm
Lat/Lon: 38.62190°N / 78.2845°W
Image Type(s): Scenery
Image ID: 385127

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Michael Hoyt

Michael Hoyt - Mar 3, 2008 5:54 pm - Voted 10/10

Bugs

The marks were most likely caused by an insect larva (or rather lots of them) eating the cambium layer under the bark. The damage is probably what caused the tree to die and eventually fall to the forest floor.

Bob Sihler

Bob Sihler - Mar 3, 2008 9:57 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Bugs

Thanks, Mike. That makes a lot of sense, especially considering that a certain species of tree in this area has been decimated by an insect (I need to get out the guide and look it up; all I know is that it's not the hemlock, which has been wiped out by another insect).

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