A great tree host, or now that's what I call hospitality

A while back I shared a photo of a tree that had another tree growing right on top of it. This is a much better photo, as I took it with the sun shining brightly on it! The original tree had been damaged during the initial house construction so that it started to die shortly after we moved in. Eventually it lost most of its branches and just became a shell which supported my clothesline. During a harsh winter storm it toppled over, but still left a tall base upon which this small tree grew.



I can imagine a seed getting stuck in a groove within the decaying trunk.





Here you can see the base of the tree's trunk enveloping the top of the host tree. The newer tree's roots are making their way down the inside of the host.




You can just see a part of the root shooting off to the right side, as if it were a branch!





The decaying inner trunk has created a great compost upon which this new tree has received enough sustenance to grow and thrive! Now that is a great example of recycling!