Post # 3 Life and Times of Snags

Post #3, the Life and Times of Snags, marks the third stop of the Rankin Ridge Nature Trail.

NPS Photo / Anania Tekurio

Recent prescribed fires have left dead standing trees called snags. You can see some of these to the right of the trail. Snags attract many forms of wildlife. For example some insects, such as longhorn beetles, lay their eggs in slits cut into the bark. When the larvae emerge from the eggs, they initially bore into the nutritious inner bark and eventually tunnel through the wood before developing into adult beetles. Some boreholes may be seen if you look closely at these snags.

The longhorn beetle and the other insects found on the snags are an important food for many types of birds. Over time, the snags may become nesting sites for northern flickers and black-capped chickadees.