I always enjoy walking along the creek after a rainstorm because there is always something new to be found. New branches litter the ground, and I like to pick through them and collect the ones I find intriguing. One storm blew over a large pecan tree that had died from heart rot. The center of the tree had completely rotted away, leaving a large cavity in the center. The branches were hollow as well, and some had broken off when the tree fell. I took one of these branches back with me and decided to cut a cross-section of it. The log was full of spalting and worm trails, but what caught my attention the most was the center ring. The tree had formed a harder layer around the rot as if to protect itself from further damage.