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When we stepped out of the shady cluster of shrubby trees into this clearing, did you notice the drastic change in the kind of vegetation? Raspberry brambles crowd each other for sunlight. Where there is no canopy to limit sunlight, a brushy habitat abounds. You may see some special wildlife here—bird, rabbit and fox.
cottontail
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We are now standing under a canopy of white cedar and poplar. The young saplings growing on this forest floor are maples and hickories. These young hardwoods enjoy living in the shade. Their need for sunlight is not great. Eventually, these saplings will outgrow the aspen and cedars. When that day comes, a forest of maples and hickories will restrict sunlight from penetration. The cedars and aspen will die.
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These beautiful sugar maples have large crowns which shade an extensive area. Plants needing sunlight cannot grow beneath the large trees. The skeletons of dead cedars demonstrate that species’ inability to get sunlight and compete with the maples. In this habitat, raccoons, nuthatches, squirrels and bluejays are commonly found.
(bluejay)