the death of a tree

Of all the trees we've had to have removed, I was most sad about the GIANT Ash tree in our backyard.When we bought our home, it was a beautiful tree and provided a lot of shade over our house. Then a couple years later, when we had to have someone come out to quote taking down a couple trees, he told me that our Ash tree had been attacked by the infamous Emerald Ash Borer Beetle; 

It's hard to believe that this little sucker can kill a 60 foot tree! Well, it looked ok to me so I ignored him. During the next couple years, less of it grew back in the Spring and I was sad. So, last year we had it cut off. Not down to the ground though, because CHA CHING! So now we have 30 foot stump in our back yard. Anyway, I've been watching it die for the last year. It grew a lot of weird fungus/mushrooms at the bottom of the trunk;

That was after the bark started to split. Then, over the weekend, a big piece of the bark came off and I could see all the little beetle holes;

So far, it's estimated that Indiana has lost 6 million Ash trees!!! Little bastards.

I want a Sycamore tree! They're so cool looking! Maybe you've seen them;

My guy frowns when I say I want more trees. He would hate a Sycamore too - it sheds these funny things;

I won't tell him :-) There's a chance he would be ok with another new tree though...we found this tiny little spruce sprig last summer in our yard. We left it. It's still alive and it's bigger this year! He even stuck a marker in the ground next to it, so we wouldn't accidentally step on it!

Aaaand, on Arbor Day, the city was giving away FREE trees!!! You know I got one :-)

It's our state tree, a Tulip tree. When it's a little bigger, I'll plant in the ground;

Right now, I'm just happy it's still alive too.