Just a dead tree limb?  Look closely. 
Photo by Jonathan Schechter

To the casual observor it's just an old dead tree limb. But over the past three years that limb and I have become friends. The apple tree gone wild is just outside the window I view when I type indoors. A friend suggested I cut it down so the yard "looks better". No way! I can't do that.

Treefrogs sing from the limb and tell me of rains to come
A screech owl explores the hollow
Red squirrels scamper about
A pair of downy woodpeckers come for bug brunch
Chickadees and white-breasted nuthatch visit in winter
But mostly it's about the hummingbirds of summer

Ruby-throated hummingbirds perch on the uppermost section surveying their world. And the world they view is the front yard world of nature I love.  Cutting the limb would end this delicate dance of life from a dying tree that is a 5-star destination for some many creatures.

A ruby-throated hummingbird perches on the very top of the limb.

photo by Jonathan Schechter