Today, as I was walking along Champlain Heights Trail, gathering mulch in my wheelbarrow, I spotted an amazing old stump. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that it was not just a stump – but a whole ecosystem of life. There was a huckleberry plant full of bright new red berries. There were several different types of moss growing up the side of the stump – and a wood bug running through it all. A spider web stretched across one side of the stump. While a small cedar sapling grew on the other side – a new life growing from the stump of an old life. I was in awe of the complex beauty of life on this one stump. It hit me – this stump is an example of why we do the work of Free the Fern – to return such biodiversity to the whole trail system.
