It is remarkable when three generations come together for a
grueling cause. Even rarer is when they come together to plant trees. My
grandfather, father and I planted 50 trees around our 4 acre lawn over ten
years ago. Every day while the trees were young, they were watered and
fertilized. Countless hours were spent spilling both water and sweat, so you
can imagine the agony of a woodpecker introducing itself to the area.
On a return trip from a walk, my father and I cut across the
lawn to find one of the trees covered with shallow holes. This tree was one of
the only mountain ash trees we planted. They were starting to ooze, and
multiple bugs had gathered to feast upon the sap. One way to kill a tree is to
sever the bark all around it. This is known as girdling. In an attempt to save the tree, we duct taped
the holes. But that wasn't enough to deter the pesky woodpecker from coming
back later and pecking through the tape!
My father, understandably angry, took the roll of duct tape
for a second spin. This time, it wasn't enough to just cover the newly-opened
holes. He proceeded to attach strips of duct tape to branches like streamers. Now
content that the tree was sufficiently covered, he backed down. Then he returned
with rocks to hurl at a neighboring pine tree in which he believed the
woodpecker lived. Once he was convinced that the woodpecker wasn't around
anymore, he retreated to the front porch to sit and observe the tree. There is
no doubt in my mind that if the woodpecker had gotten tangled in the duct tape,
that would be the last thing it would ever do.
Although there were no woodpeckers entangled in the
tape, the streamers seemed to have deterred the obnoxious bird from coming
back. It has been at least two weeks since the tree was decorated with duct
tape. Other than its shabby appearance, this mountain ash tree seems to have
survived the war between my father and the woodpecker.
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