We came upon this bent tree on our hike along the fence line a couple of trips back at Roundrock. (We really need to finish that hike -- we only covered about half of the perimeter.) It may be hard to tell in this photo, but the younger tree seems to have grown at the odd angle in order to get more sunlight that is abundant on the other side of the fence. (There is dense forest to the right of the photo.) In the process, however, the young tree made the acquaintance of the barbed wire fence and has grown around it. You may be able to tell that the tree is pulling the strand of wire, putting tension on the already brittle metal. The fence on the western boundary is altogether gone; only scattered posts mark its passage. The fence along the northern boundary is still pretty good, but only because my neighbor there had repaired it for the year he kept horses in that field. The fences along the eastern and southern boundaries are still in mostly good shape, and I'd like to keep them that way, at least to the extent of my ability. Therefore, Pablo ought to head straight to this tree and cut it away from the fence. Not only would it relieve the tension there, but it would help open the path I continue to cut along the fence line. Yep, he ought to do that. I'll let you know if he ever does. Missouri calendar:

• The Missouri Natural Events Calendar is blank for today.

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