5/365 Spring cleaning

Part of the outdoor spring cleaning ritual always includes clearing out dead or dying trees.

This one has been dying for quite a while, which was easiest to see in the summer when half of the branches were without leaves.

And now, seeing what the inside of the trunk looks like, you can understand why: it was on its way to being completely hollowed out by ants.

It was a Boxelder, which typically aren't very strong or long-living trees to begin with. Then, when you add a predator that speeds up the process, like an ant, it would only be a matter of time before a strong spring storm would fell it.

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/125s, f/5.6 at ISO 200 at about 6:30 p.m.