Lamentations of a Forest

Lamentations of a Forest, originally uploaded by DrewMyers.

Said best by Drew Myers:

This white oak once stood shoulder to shoulder with dozens of others in the forest by the Limberlost Trail in Shenandoah National Park. Now it stands alone. It's neighbors have been weakened and killed by the Gypsy Moth, a species accidentally introduced by man which is killing the oaks in Shenandoah National Park. This tree too will likely succumb to the invader as its leaves are eaten away by the gypsy moth larvae. Slowly this tree with be starved of nutrients and will succumb as it's neighbors have. The Limberlost Trail area is a sad example of the ways in which humans are changing the environment in ways we can not predict. The giant Hemlocks that once also stood in this area are already gone, killed by the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, a species also introduced - you guessed it - by us.