Sapwells

A sapsucker was here! He's a small woodpecker and he drilled these holes through the bark of an old maple tree. The top row are actively bleeding sugary sap; the bottom row are ofd healed wells from a previous year. The sap helps feed the sapsucker but it also attracts insects, including overwintering butterflies, other birds (chickadees, downy woodpeckers, kinglets) and squirrels.