A temperate forest is a vibrant interface of species, each modifying the forest in some way. Fungi break down fallen trunks, creating new soil for future plants. Porcupines munch on willows, black locusts, apple trees, snapping branches as they feast. Woodpeckers trill away beautiful patterns in the bark, providing habitat for insects, fungi and other creatures. Deer shape the forest plant composition, eating selectively, condemning some saplings and promoting others. Owls make a home, rear young, haunt the night. Squirrels munch on nuts, their nibbling often enhancing the germination rates of the half-eaten seeds scattered through the forest.
This selection of photos illustrates just a few of these actors observed in one forest site I managed for a few summers.