Along the lily pond trail, the caretakers of the arboretum have trimmed back branches that grow into the pathway. I noticed that pretty much all the cut branches of the Pacific ninebark have small round holes in the center of the branch. I found a broken branch that showed a pithy center that I am sure is easy and delightful to bore out. As I looked further, I noticed that there were also holes in the cut branches of the snowberry bush and the Indian-plum.
I was reminded about something that I learned from the Xerces society. It is important to leave old flower stalks in your garden landscape. Many insects and spiders will seek refuge in the stalk’s hollow stem. They will also lay their eggs in the stems for protection through winter and hatch out in spring.
I also noticed that along some of the branches there were holes that I imagine were created by woodpeckers extracting whatever tasty morsels were inside.
