Is a soured romance the reason for vandalized tree in Walnut Creek?

The Sousa Trail within the Acalanes Ridge Open Space in Contra Costa County is residence to a number of critters identified to scrape bushes; however the above marks have been possible attributable to a human. (Courtesy of Tom Warriner)

DEAR JOAN: I used to be strolling the Sousa Trail in Acalanes Ridge Open Space and I got here throughout an oak tree that had chunks of bark eliminated in two locations.

At first I believed it was youngsters with a hatchet, however on nearer inspection, it appears to be like extra like an animal with very robust claws was accountable. Could one of many rumored mountain lions from Briones be staking out new territory?

I at all times hold my canine on leash once we are within the open area as a result of there are various coyotes, however a mountain lion is an entire completely different ballgame.

— Tom Warriner, Walnut Creek

DEAR TOM: Good job on maintaining these canine on leash. It’s for everybody’s security.

While we don’t know for sure what precipitated the injury, we are able to have a look at prospects and decide the possible trigger. While mountain lions do go away marks round their territories, they don’t usually seem like what you described.

I couldn’t discover any proof that the  Briones mountain lions are extending their territory into the world.

I thought-about the marks could be left by deer, scraping the velvet off their antlers, however whereas the marks appear considerably just like the injury deer trigger, the dimensions of the tree makes it an unlikely possibility. Deer usually select bushes with small circumferences. It’s kind of like if we had one thing in our enamel, we’d select a slender toothpick, not a two-by-four. The deer wants a thinner tree to allow them to get into nooks and crannies.

Others prompt it might be the work of a beaver, a bear, or a woodpecker in addition to deer nibbling on the bark. None of these choices appear legitimate both. Beavers wouldn’t sort out a tree that enormous, and gnawing marks can be up that prime. As far as I do know, we don’t have bears in Walnut Creek, and it might must be a number of woodpeckers, or one elephant-sized one, to create that quantity of injury.

That leads us again to your authentic thought — a two-legged animal. City of Walnut Creek park rangers checked out the tree and decided the injury wasn’t attributable to a automobile strike, and there was no injury to different bushes within the open area. They consider it was vandalism.

Why anybody would take a hatchet to such a lovely, previous oak is a thriller, however one principle is that the tree was marred by somebody attempting to take away proof of an arborglyph, the time period for initials carved right into a tree to memorialize an event, more than likely a romance.

Rangers might be maintaining a tally of the tree to ensure it recovers.

DEAR JOAN: I see a number of empty snail shells round my backyard. Do snails outgrow their shells and discover bigger ones? Should I go away the shells for different snails?

— Susan J., Los Altos

DEAR SUSAN: Snails don’t outgrow their shells as a result of the shells develop proper together with them. If you’re discovering empty ones, then one thing has forcibly evicted the snail and eaten it.

You can go away the shells the place you discover them as they’ll ultimately break down and assist feed your soil, and they’re a superb supply of calcium for birds and different wildlife.

The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AsokJoanMorris@gmail.com.