Look! 
Nature is overflowing with the grandeur of God!
~ John Muir

The Forest Service pamphlet explains that ecological succession is "the natural process in which habitats are converted from one type to another over a period of time."

A place for everything, and everything in its place, at least for now and until one type of plant gives way to another.

Above, we've entered a shaded area of dense canopy, so dense that there is no understory.  Only the tall survive and succeed in competing for space in these areas.  The shorties have been shaded out.

Above, we are looking over an area with open sunlight and little overstory. This is where the shorties -- the low growing shrubs and plants -- thrive and succeed, at least for now.  Eventually, as conditions of moisture, sunlight, and soil change, they may be shaded out and replaced by another plant type.

Sometimes, the Forest Service helps out Mother Nature by cutting back certain plant species or planting them in new areas. In the end, nothing succeeds like succession! 

A bit further down the path was a patch of snow,
a pleasant reminder that it is still winter.  

And look who we (literally) came across!

A fellow Sheltie!

The first dog we met on the trail was a 
friendly Sheltie named Christa.
She's a 12 year old with lots of spunk.  
That's her in the middle.
I know, I know.
They all look alike.

That's Christa on the left with her humans.
An impromptu dog-friendly reunion
on The Woodland Trail.

You never know where and when your relatives show up!

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