The grandpa tree, the pig tree, and all the dead saplings (+ the woodpecker update)

Since we had the grandpa tree taken down on Friday, I thought I'd give you an update on the woodpeckers and give you an overview of our tree situation in general.

Pileated woodpecker on sycamore tree.

So yes, grandpa tree is no longer an eye-sore (and didn't appear to be home to the pileated woodpeckers after all.) Our neighbor Jack tells us that for the previous four years, the peckers have roosted in one of his dead trees and he even learned a woodpecker call which successfully brings them out for viewing. In addition, the day after we took down the tree, we saw one of the pecker pair ravaging our sycamore. (I wish they would peck on the tulip trees rather than our lone sycamore, but I am happy they are not afraid of our property after two days of chainsaws.)

So while I'm talking about trees, we also have a tree that we've dubbed the pig tree, due to the knots on it's trunk that distinctly resemble a pig snout. It's a fun feature in an otherwise boring tree.

The maples. Our 2-acre property is littered with maples, but only one oak. So Hubby asked me yesterday to research maple syrup harvesting. Ya never know; we might have a delicious treat come the fall.

Pig tree. Obviously.

And finally, the dead saplings. I am an Arbor Day member and whenever you donate or renew they send you ten free trees. So in the fall I received the flowering tree grab bag, two of each of the following: white dogwood, pink crabapple, redbud, crape myrtle, and golden rain tree. I wanted to get a jump start on the growing (the free trees come about 10-inches tall), so I potted them all and kept them indoors all winter.) This was terribly annoying, because with the trees/potting soil came the gnats. Apparently gnats feed off of organic material in moist soil, so we were infested all winter. I covered the pots in sticky fly traps and killed millions. Really, yes, I think it was millions. But they just kept on coming. But we dealt with it because our trees were growing. Until about a month ago, when all but one decided to die. Why? Don't know. That sucked. Gnats for nothing.

Similarly, I received ten baby blue spruce trees about a month ago, and I potted them and put them outside. They're dead. All the needles turned brown and fell off. My gardening thumb seems not apply to trees. But Arbor Day has a "guaranteed to grow" disclaimer. But I don't want two more batches of twiglets. I am going to call them up tomorrow, explain the situation, and maybe they'll send me two of their three-foot dogwoods (a $22 value) instead. I'd even be happy with just one more mature tree. Seems like it would be harder to kill and more instantly appealing in my landscape.

Grandpa tree. RIP.