As usual, there's a ton of deer sign out in the woods around here, and I've come across many beds. The snow's been deep for most of the past several weeks, but a lot of the beds have been melted out all the way through to the bare ground. This makes me wonder if deer re-use the same beds numerous times.
I'm posting a shot of a Bear's Head Tooth mushroom that's on a tree where deer have been yarding up. (You can see some beds under the hemlock on the right.) A close-up of the mushroom shows that it's been seriously fed upon. Deer are known to eat mushrooms, and it doesn't look like rodent nibbling, so I'm assuming this is one of the food sources getting them by until spring finally arrives.
The Foraging Techniques of Downy Woodpeckers
10 hours ago
That's interesting, Susan. I don't know if they reuse their beds, but why not?
ReplyDeleteI've seen many, many deer beds in the apple orchard this year, often under low apple branches with browse sign, as if the deer munch while resting.
Thanks for teaching me a new mushroom, too.