I have always found the bark of birch trees to be interesting and attractive. This decaying birch on the Piney Ridge Trail at the south end of Ludington State Park stopped me in my tracks on an April 29 afternoon hike. Though the trunk was badly decayed, the patterns, varied tones and textures interested me. I made this image with budding maple branches as the backdrop. The same scene would look dramatically different on Oct. 27 (see next picture and caption