Walking through the park with my husband, we spotted this Chinese Paper Birch tree. What caught our eye first though, was not actually the tree, but a large nest loaded with twigs and leaves, tucked in a crook between branches. It was unusual for a nest to be so low and no sooner had we posed the question: What kind of nest is it?'; when this sleepy squirrel popped his head up! This obviously answered our question. Can you see him snuggled in the nest?
If you look towards the right side of the crook just above the twigs, you'll see the light illuminating his little pink ear. The light is also making what looks like a question mark on his cheek, just below his eye. His face is in profile.
Well, cute little rodents are always scene stealers, but this is Tree Tuesday, so this is a Chinese Paper Birch tree, Betula albo-sinensis, known for its colorful, peeling bark. As its name indicates, it's native to China but will grow anywhere with moist, well-drained soils and isn't too picky about soil type or pH. The squirrel didn't seem to care about any of that, he just deemed it a great place to make a nest and have a midday nap.
So were you able to spot him?