Sometimes as we walk along we forget to look at the little things along the way. What is going on under our feet as we move along? We seem always in a hurry–looking for the next thing. Take a look at this photo. What do you see? There is a plethora of shed materials that have fallen to the forest floor. Two types of leaves, an oak and a maple, all in various stages of decomposition. You can see the nut of the acorn separated from the cupule (the top little cap that looks like a beret!). The ground is littered with brown pine needles shed from the tree above and an occasional pinecone can be spotted. There are tiny shards of wood along with twigs and branches.

In the photos below, spot a miraculous tiny pine tree that survived to thrive and emerge amongst the fallen pine needles and leaves–sheltered next to a giant exposed root. The second picture provides evidence of the organism in the third photo. The remains of a shredded pine cone that a squirrel left behind in search of seeds. Finally, the bottom photo–that of a long, fallen tree in decay. Look close to see the layers of wood now broken apart and returning to the soil. In fact, all these little particles, decompose, return their stored nutrients to the earth, and combine together to create more soil for us humans who often just throw it out. (take a walk in your neighborhood and look for all the potted mums, ferns and other plants that are thrown to the curb with soil clinging to their roots)

It’s the little things…just look down…