Trees – North American Nature

Four common birch species can be found in North America, and all create a habitat in and around them that is used by many different types of wildlife such as insects, small mammals, and birds. I wanted to find out more about what we can see when walking through a birch wood. Insects, birds, mammals, and fungi can be found in beech woods. Aphids grow on leaves, while caterpillars feed on the leaves. Birds feed on the numerous insects that the trees attract and use the softwood to nest. Fungi have a symbiotic or parasitic relationship with birch trees. Birch is one of my favorite looking trees, and I was impressed by how much wildlife they attract. If you want to find out more, please read on. If you want to know why some plants have thorns you can find out in this article I wrote Birch Trees Birch form large woodlands in a variety of habitats. Birch is well adapted to living in harsh climates and poor soils. Birch spread their seeds on the wind and can colonize a new area quickly. Birch are attractive trees, especially in winter when their trunks gleam in the winter sun. During spring, they come alive with color with new green leaves and catkins, and in fall, their brown and yellow leaves are some of the most colorful. The four main birch species in North America are paper birch, river birch, yellow birch, and sweet birch. The yellow birch is the largest, growing up to 100 feet tall, while the paper birch is the smallest, growing up to 60 feet tall. Birch spread their seed using the wind. They can be recognized by the small, paper-winged seeds that can be seen floating down and on the ground. The seeds are carried on their wings for great distances to reach new areas. Birch is a hardy plant, and even as a seed, they will take over any open ground they land on. Birches are quick to grow, with a two-year-old tree standing a couple of meters high. After about a dozen years, the birch will reach maturity, sending off its own seeds on the wind to germinate. Birch can live up to 100 years, although 60-70 is most common. Birches will grow even if there are grazing animals such as rabbits and deer in the area as they are not well-liked by these animals. However, in the winter, when there is nothing left to eat, they will eat the birch trees. If you want to know why plants turn towards the sun, you can find out in this article I wrote If oak or conifer trees have been felled and not replanted, then birches will soon take their place, growing thin and tall together. Insects are attracted to the paper beech due to its bark. The bark cracks and peels as the tree get older, with fissures near the base. These make excellent hiding places for many types of insects, including ants, beetles, and centipedes. Birchwoods allow a dense undergrowth to grow in the birch's light, even when they are in full leaf. Birch can grow in different soils. In poor soils, the undergrowth may consist almost of bracken, allowing many insects and small mammals to live undisturbed. In damper soils, birchwoods will give rise to beautiful woodland flowers such as bluebells and primroses. If the soil is sandy, such as around heathlands, then the undergrowth will contain typical heathland plants such as heathers, gorse, and wavy-hair grass. Fungi Many fungi live among birch woods, and the fungus usually stops the trees from reaching full maturity. More fungus will appear as the branches die back and the heartwood rots. The birch polypore, also known as the birch bracket, grows on the trunk of birch trees and is the most common fungus. The fungus has a hard, smooth, brown, leathery surface that has no stalks. The fungus has a white, porous underside. The spores are released from the underside by the breeze. A small beetle can sometimes be found below the fungus's surface, staining the white tissues pink. The beetles and the fungus leave the wood very soft, allowing woodpeckers and other hole-nesting species to be a nesting site. Wrinkled crust fungus looks like a lichen, appearing as orange patches on birch trees, and is commonly found on dead birch trees. The fly agaric, the most recognizable toadstool, can be found below birches in the fall. These benefit the trees as they form an association with the roots of the birch. The tree uses materials extracted by the fungus from the soil—the fungus benefits by receiving the tree's nutrients. Although the birch tree does not need the fly agaric to survive, the fungi must always have birch trees nearby to survive. There are many other types of fungi living that you can find around beech trees. The brown bolete, milkcaps, and russulas are just some of the fungi that can be found. Some are poisonous, so don't eat them. Some fungi live in harmony with the tree, living alongside them peacefully, while others are parasites and will take all the nutrients from the living wood. Want to know which wildlife lives in tree holes? Find out here. Birds Woodpeckers can often be seen around birch trees as birch has a soft texture and a thin bark. Woodpeckers can make holes quickly for feeding in living trees, and in dead trees will often make larger holes to build their nests. Fungus on birch is also a good indicator to find other animals. If the birch bracket fungus is found growing from a birch tree, then the wood is usually soft enough for woodpeckers to be found nesting in a hole. If the birch is old and no fungus is growing, then woodpeckers may be seen drumming on them, as these make a noise that will travel far. Birch woods are ideal for many types of birds as the trees are generally close to each other and harbor an amazing number of insects. Finches will feed on the seeds which can be found in the cone-line catkins. Golden-crowned kinglets, siskins, and titmice can often be seen fighting with flocks of finches for seeds on birch trees. Why don’t birds fall when they sleep? Find out in this article I wrote. Insects It is not only the bark, the trunks, and the seeds that bring wildlife to birth trees. Many types of insects such as aphids live on birch leaves' underside and can be found when the leaves first open at the beginning of the season. These provide a valuable food source for many species of birds, which may nest around the birch is scrub or brambles nearby. The second hatch of aphids later in the season provides more food for birds preparing for migration. Caterpillars of butterflies and moths will also feed on birch leaves, although many of these end up as food for birds. Want to know which wildlife you can see in coniferous forests. Find out here.