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This unusual birch is called a spider tree. It began life on top of a decaying stump—using the old wood as both a nutrient source and a support. As its roots grew, they reached down around the stump and into the soil below. When the stump finally rotted away, it left this spidery network of roots suspended above the ground.
Spider trees like this one are rare, but they play an important role. Their hollow spaces shelter insects, small animals, and even young seedlings. The fungi that helped decompose the original stump still live in the roots, supplying nutrients to the new tree.
This area was once an open wild blueberry field, harvested until about sixty years ago before the forest reclaimed it. Notice the nearby rock pile—stones likely dumped from a cart during field clearing over two centuries ago. Together, the spider tree and the rock pile tell the story of a forest returning to what was once farmland.

Spider Tree

Birch, maple, and pine are the most common spider tree species. Success may depend on the symbiotic relationships with fungi that help decompose the stump and provide nutrients to the seedling.

The rock pile next to the spider tree has all of the features that are expected when rocks are dumped in a pile from a cart during field clearing. Over the past 250 years, soil has built up around the rocks embedding them in the ground. This rock pile is some of the best evidence of former agricultural activity.