My Winter Forest Discovery

When I look out my kitchen window, I can see a little tree in the distance still holding onto its golden leaves deep into the winter cold.

Look carefully to the left, past the giant elm trunk, and it’s hiding among a multitude of leafless trees. You can barely see it back there!

It caught my eye simply because it still has its leaves in January! The maples in my yard kept their leaves longer than I expected, but have now lost most of them. That little golden tree looks from here like it hasn’t lost any at all.

Investigating the Mystery

Today was a perfect day to get out into the woods for a bit. Temperatures hovered around freezing, which is warmer than they have been lately. Forecasters are calling for the possibility of a significant snowfall overnight, and I wanted to beat the storm. After today, we’ll have a week of highs below freezing and lows, well, much colder than that!

So out to the forest I went. The Appalachian Trail is two houses away and was a perfect path for a short outing. I didn’t get far before the first snowflakes began to fall, but I did find a few of these trees close to the trail.

What are they??

Here are a few more closeups I got:

These golden beauties were mixed with oak and maple leaves all over the forest floor.

Hitting the Library…

Google, that is! Remember the gigantic elm tree trunk in the first picture above? Its leaves are w-a-y up there in the sky! I don’t remember seeing what they looked like in the summer, but online images tell me they can look almost identical to beech leaves.

So which tree is hiding back there in the woods? Beech or elm?

I have to look at other characteristics to figure it out. Two attributes clue me in to this tree’s identity.

First, it’s still got its leaves in January. Elm trees lose their leaves in the fall, but beech trees hold onto their leaves through the winter and rustle in the breeze.

Mystery solved! I’m enjoying a splash of brightness provided by a little beech tree.

So What?

Since I knew nothing about beech trees, there was plenty to discover in my research! Learning even one thing is more than knowing nothing, right?? So let me share a few fun facts with you.

• It grows slowly to a height of 60-100 feet tall (18-30 meters). Don’t plant it for yourself, but for your grandkids to enjoy!

• In the fall, beechnuts provide food full of protein and fat for bear, deer, squirrels, chipmunks, foxes, blue jays, ducks, and more.

• The leaves support 126 different caterpillar species, which in turn get fed to baby birds for breakfast.

• It provides cavity-nesting sites for several bird species.

I have to stand in wonder that God takes care of his creation so well using just one tree of the forest! Imagine what he does with the rest of them.

I can’t help but think of several verses from the Bible that apply to the mighty beech. Here are just two:

“He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry” (Psalm 147:9 NLT).

“Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” (Matthew 6:26).

The Creator of everything that exists thought ahead to the forest animals and birds that would live in North America, and made the beech tree to provide them with food and shelter. I hope that little beech tree I see out my window will continue to grow and provide for many generations of animals and birds.

Could it be possible that He thought ahead of you where you live, and planned how to provide for your needs? I’m thinking that it’s more than possible!

Today is a wonderful day to pause and ponder all of the ways God provides for you, and then to thank him for them all.