Mary Bedy Photography

Apparently, the study of the forest canopy is a still-developing science. There are may species of creatures that live in forest canopies that are never found on the forest floor. The canopy itself is the main gatherer of sunlight, obviously, but science has only recently gotten more sophisticated at studying canopy structures and biology due partly to the improvement and sophistication of climbing gear and other equipment. Previously, studies were done using hot air balloons and other more difficult means. Being able to place scientific measuring devices at the tops of trees in old-growth forests has gotten easier. Due to deforestation, many lichen species that are regularly found at the crowning level of trees are starting to go extinct which will cause further imbalance to an already fragile ecosystem.   For me, the forest canopy has always been a source of visual enjoyment. I love to look straight up in the local hiking trail and marvel at the structure and complexity of the tree b

There is s small hiking trail in the middle of town where I live and I frequent it often with my camera. There is, being a hiking trail, always a carpet of dead and dying leaves everywhere along the trail and in the wetland ponds. I feel a kinship with these leaves. They are all different, yet all the same. All alive for a season, then they change, they fall, they dry out, curl up and crumble. They are all different colors, different sizes and different shapes. Some are hardier than others and are able to hang on to their branches in a stubborn death grip. Some hold their color on the forest floor until they are eaten by their fellow forest creatures and become a ragged version of their former selves. I love every one of them. Even the ones that are almost dust, with only delicate skeletal remains left behind. There is dignity in death in the forest. Nobody blames a leaf for a life wasted. Nobody criticizes the last leaf on the tree for refusing to give up because they are doomed

In this strange time we are experiencing right now, where it’s really not a good idea to engage with a lot of strangers outside your family, there are not that many places you can go to relax. Restaurants, libraries, bookstores and other locations that are frequented by a lot of people are generally not a good idea for a while longer as of this writing on July 1, 2020. But there are a few places one can go and at least have a change of scenery from the walls of your home, where most of us have spent the bulk of the last few months. For me, this is either down at the boardwalk along the Saint Clair river, where it’s easy to practice social distancing, or it’s the local hiking trail where you might encounter two or three people out for a walk or the occasional cyclist. I always take my camera with me even if I’m just mostly going to walk or relax on one of the benches along the trail. It’s a small hiking trail, but it’s well maintained and there are several trees along the path that I