What is Up With These Weird Looking Trees In Spencer County?
When I saw this pic on Facebook, I had to do a double take. Was it a weird plant? Maybe a tree with a bad trim? Was it an upside down tree? It looked like a tree that might have been uprooted during a tornado, that then landed like a spear, with its roots up and the top buried, in the ground. If it was put there by a tornado, why was there another one just like it, standing the same way, in the back, to the right it?
The first thing I did was read the Facebook status above the pictures. If I would have done that in the beginning, I would have seen what they are and why. But, since I only look at the pics, it took me a little while.
Here is the status.
Leave it to the Gentryville Bottoms to have the latest tourist attraction in the area. Trees have been buried upside down, with their roots at the top, to encourage the Eagles to nest in them.
Wow, That’s so cool. It’s genius really. I’ve seen eagles nests near Mt.Carmel, IL. and they are just that size and sit high up off of the ground. The roots of the tree would make a great perch for the eagles nests.
What is Up With These Weird Looking Trees In Spencer County?
So, apparently the land the trees are located on, the Gentryville Bottoms, is a part of the Bloomfield Barrens Nature Preserve in Spencer County, IN. The wetlands were acquired by the state in 1995. It encompasses 66.848 acres along the Little Pigeon Creek. According the the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the wetlands are a super important part of the health and well being of, not only the animals that use it, but us as well.
Wetlands serve important functions, both in human benefits such as maintaining the quality of the water we drink and controlling flooding, and in environmental benefits such as provid- ing habitat for endangered species of wildlife and plants. The fact that the majority of the wetland resources once present in Indiana have been lost or altered makes wetlands espe- cially critical resources for conservation.
Another mystery solved. Well, kinda, thanks to Jodey. We'll keep you posted on the eagles nesting progress.