A Squirrel's Larder

I spotted this black walnut hull under a large old maple tree in my sister's front yard. Since, to my knowledge, maples do not bear nuts as their fruits, I think a squirrel must have cached some walnuts from a very old black walnut tree three blocks away, on Grandview Avenue.

There's a big squirrel's nest still visible high in the topmost branches of the old maple. And a cavity in its trunk, about 15 feet up.

Black walnuts are delicious, and I like to imagine that resourceful and prudent squirrel enjoying this one for breakfast on a bitterly cold January day.

White Pine, Red Berries, Blue Sky

This tall white pine is a specimen of the native North American species Pinus strobus. I don't know the name of the red berries in the foreground.