Field note 02 · Decay
A small defense of rot
Rot has terrible public relations. We call things rotten when they have failed, spoiled, gone bad, become useless. The woods disagree.
Dead wood is crowded. Fungi move through it. Beetles tunnel into it. Larvae eat inside it. Moss softens its edges. Water gathers. Seeds find purchase. What looks like an ending is usually a very busy middle.
A fallen branch becomes food, shelter, moisture, architecture, and eventually soil. Nothing about that is waste.
Decay is not the opposite of life. In a forest, it is one of life's favorite tools.