Welcome to Word of the Week! Stay tuned for a new word each Wednesday to amp up your nature vocabulary!
Snag [snag] (noun): A standing dead tree.
Snags play a vital role in forest ecosystems by providing habitat and sources of food for small insects, large owls, and many creatures in between! Cavities can become home for mammals such as red squirrels, raccoons, and even bats. Non-animal organisms such as lichen, moss, and fungi may also make their home on or in snags.
Snags often become a "hot spot" for insect-eating birds. Pileated woodpeckers, for example, love feeding on wood-boring insects such as carpenter ants. They also carve out cavities to nest in, and these holes might even be adopted by other birds or mammals in the future.
“A dead tree is more alive than a live tree” -Jerry Franklin
Sammy Tangir - Sammy is a serious nature nerd and especially enthusiastic about plants! When she is not thinking of next week's nature word, she is working as an outdoor educator and practicing her wood carving skills.
Sources are listed below, and digital sources are also linked throughout the blog post.
