Checking out a Beaver log!

So a friend of ours gave us this really cool beaver log. The beaver almost made it all the way through but our friend got to it first before the beaver could finish this job.

The kids were so amazed to see how big the beavers teeth marks were. So we all did a bit of learning about beavers.

A Bit About Beavers

Beavers' ability to change the landscape is second only to humans. But that is just one reason why we find the flat-tailed species fascinating. Adults may weigh over 40 pounds, and beavers mate for life during their third year. Both parents care for the kits (usually one to four) that are born in the spring. The young normally stay with their parents for two years, and yearlings act as babysitters for the new litter. While some beaver behavior is instinctive, they also learn by imitation and from experience.

Wildlife rehabilitators find beavers to be gentle, reasoning beings who enjoy playing practical jokes. An Indian word for "beaver-like" also means "affable." Once weaned, their favorite foods include water lily tubers, clover, apples and the leaves and green bark (cambium) from aspen and other fast-growing trees. Tree cutting is part of nature's cycle, and beaver pruning stimulates willows, cottonwood and aspen to regrow bushier than ever next spring. After eating, beavers use the peeled sticks to build a teepee-like lodge (house) on the shore and/or a dam.

Wow! Really amazing!

Gabe counted the rings on the tree and found it to be about 20 years old. The bark on the tree was really cool too. The tree is a white birch so the bark peels off really easily. We left it on though because we are going to put the tree stump in Gabe's room.