Why a sapsucker drills holes

Harvesting syrup and trapping insects

Sapsuckers are medium-sized woodpeckers. As their name implies, they feed on the sap that oozes from holes they drill in trees. Insects are also attracted to the sap which acts like flypaper. Sapsuckers return periodically to the tree to "harvest" stuck insects and take them back to their nests to feed their young.

This tree on the south loop trail by the main boardwalk was destroyed by Hurricane Ike, but similar examples exist elsewhere in the park.

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Sapsuckers