Mounds of Trash

Really, we are the stewards of this property, an acre of West Coast mature forest. We share and live in harmony with so many other creatures like this red squirrel. Every day I sweep up tiny piles of husks, the leavings of one pine cone. These piles are on boulders, the porch, the walkway or even a chair. Today I took a meander through the forest to feel the stillness and the peace it brings. I came across a new addition to our forest, a garbage dump. Pictures cannot do it justice. This mound of trash is well over 12" high and spreads over an area of 5', snugged up against the trunk of a 200' Western Red Cedar. We are talking pine cone husks. I stood below and watched the husks float through the air and land at my feet. I located the red squirrel, s/he was well over 100' up. My first instinct was to tidy the forest floor. No, I will leave it there to decompose. There is entertainment value in floating husks, sort of like brown snow that is slightly audible when it lands. Even more amusing, Western Red Cedars do not produce pine cones. Douglas Firs do, just a skip, hop and a jump to the next tree and back. I am thinking there's a family living in there. Surely one squirrel cannot create that much trash in one season. Really, they are small, yet amusing.