Beech trees in Mississippi

I spent Christmas in Vicksburg, MS, where my brother and his wife have 10 acres of woods. I was fascinated by these trees with terraced branches. They looked like dogwoods, but they were holding onto their leaves in December and had no flower buds.
These photos were taken on Christmas morning. It turns out that these are beech trees. I had heard of them and seen a few cultivated varieties planted around here, but, in the woods around my brother's house, they are native and plentiful.

Look at how ferns and moss seem to love the protected spots around the base of the trunk.
And isn't the bark pretty - a wonderful mottled pattern of light and dark grey.

I explored the woods a little more with my sister-in-law, Eileen. We hiked down to a small stream bed that had running water the evening before. The soil around Vicksburg is called loess. It erodes easily forming steep, sometimes vertical, inclines. The hills were somewhat softer in this little patch of woods. The plentiful, towering beech trees may help to hold the soil in place here. Perhaps eroded soil is what leads to the little gaps that appear at the base of the trees where the roots enter the ground. Whatever the cause, the result can be lovely.
Beneath one tree near the edge of the stream I saw this interesting fern. I did some research today and found out it's a Japanese Holly Fern (Cyrtomium fortunei), a non-native fern. According to the Hardy Fern Library link posted to the right, it would also grow well in Missouri.

The eroding of soil around the stream in most areas seemed well-controlled to my naive eyes. But, for Eileen, erosion is an issue she is working to control on her land. The stream had eroded a large amount of soil since she and my brother bought the land (about 10 years ago). That was evident as we neared a road where a culvert allowed water to pass underneath. The stream was several feet below the culvert and this beech tree with exposed roots stood nearby. It seems to be adapting to the situation and still stood straight and tall. I felt a little like I was looking under it's skirt. Maybe the roots will thicken at the bottom in years to come. I'll have to visit again and see what happens. I have a feeling this tree likes the spot it's in and won't move without a vigorous fight :-)

I returned from my holiday trip to find 8 inches of snow had fallen in the Kansas City area. It made my trip to Vicksburg seem even more exotic - and my holidays even happier.

I hope the holidays held wonder and happiness for you :-)