03/09/2026
Little nature fact about the holes up in your trees that look they were put there by a drill bit!
Hello. I’m the Sapsucker. Sorry for the "drill bit" rows of holes I left in your pine tree.
I know it looks like I’m a carpenter with a grudge, but I’m an "ecosystem engineer." I drill those holes to sip sap, but I’m not the only one who's hungry.
Over 40 species of birds and insects rely on the 'sap wells' I create.
Hummingbirds, especially, use my wells as a critical energy source in early March before the flowers bloom. Without me, many early migrants would starve during a late spring frost.
What to do:
Don't wrap the tree or try to stop me. Most healthy trees can easily handle the "sap well" holes without any long-term damage. I’m just the neighborhood bartender.
I’m sorry I’m a bit of a vandal.
But the hummingbirds are alive this March because of me.
