A Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) suspended from a sweetgum fruit. The sweetgum or liquidamber tree is sometimes demonized by humans for these spiky fruits. The fallen fruits are sharp to the foot, rolling trip hazards, and potential projectiles under a lawn mower.
But that’s the anthropocentric view.
For the rest of the animal kingdom, the dried fruits are pods full of life-giving seeds. And that brings in diverse flocks of bird species. This morning, in this particular sweetgum tree, there was a mix of 50+ Pine Siskins, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, and goldfinches, all enjoying the bounty. Most people walked by without even noticing the tiny birds clutching the fruits, digging in for their breakfast.
#sweetgum #liquidamber #pinesiskin #oaklandwildlife #oaklandbirds
[My wildlife ethics:
www.ingridtaylar.com/ethics/]