Hi there! Squeaks and I are learning all about redwoods because we want to take a research trip out to the redwood forests found along the west coast of North America.

But, we have a lot of planning left to do, which means it’s going to be a while before we can actually go.

So, we thought we’d make our computer model of a redwood tree we could study, to remind us of everything we’re learning about them!

And… voila!

We used our computer and art skills to make this beautiful redwood tree.

Like, here, you can see how we have a baby redwood growing out of the big redwoods’ roots!

Because, we learned how this helps the baby get all the water it needs.

And here, we have some moss, because we learned about how some plants grow on top of a redwood’s huge branches!

Now, we were thinking it would be fun to add to our tree somehow… but... how?

That’s a good idea, Squeaks!

Squeaks suggested that we try to remember some other things that we learned about redwood trees.

That might help us to think of things to add to our tree!

You’re right, Squeaks!

We talked about how a redwood forest is actually a kind of rainforest.

They get a lot of rain most of the year, and they’re pretty foggy.

Oh, and I remember something else!

They have layers that act kind of like floors in a building…

with different kinds of plants and animals living on each floor.

Hey, I know!

I made these drawings so we could learn more about the different animals that live in redwood forests.

What if we put them on our tree to show where they live!

What do you think, Squeaks?

Let’s see which ones I’ve got…

You’re right, Squeaks!

That is a Humboldt squirrel.

How did you know?

Oh, you’ve already talked about them with Mister Brown!

Well, do you remember what was special about this animal?

Exactly!

The squirrel has a flap of skin that goes between their front and back legs to glide from tree to tree as they search for food like bird eggs.

So the squirrel doesn’t need to come to the ground for food…

because they can glide from tree to tree and find it there.

So we can put this squirrel…

...here on our tree.

Do you remember the name of the forest layer that is made up mostly of redwood tree branches?

Right, the canopy!

And the Humboldt squirrel lives in the middle part of the canopy…

right about here.

Looks great!

Let’s try another animal.

Ah!

This animal is called a fisher… or sometimes a fisher cat.

That’s kind of a funny name, now that I think about it…

because it doesn’t eat fish… and it’s not a cat!

Fishers are actually a kind of weasel.

And they’re super good at hiding in thick leaves and branches.

They’re also amazing climbers.

A fisher’s claws and hairy feet help it to keep a good grip on the bark of trees.

And their ankles can turn halfway around!

This allows them to come down from trees face first instead of tail first!

That lets them hunt animals that live up in the tree…

like squirrels…

and on the ground… like porcupines!

So… where do you think we should put this fisher on our tree, Squeaks?

Yes!

Fishers are great climbers… but they also stay fairly close to the ground.

Let’s show this on our tree by putting our fisher on the low part of the canopy.

Okay… next we have this animal.

It is a salamander — a wandering salamander.

Salamander skin needs to stay nice and moist, so salamanders need to live where it is shady and damp so they won’t dry out.

Salamanders also need a pretty wet place to lay their eggs, because their eggshells aren’t as hard and waterproof as the eggshells of animals like birds.

So, they can dry out if they’re in too dry a place!

So, Squeaks… where do you think this wandering salamander might live?

Squeaks thinks that these animals might be found on the muddy ground.

Which is a good guess!

Some salamanders do bury themselves in the ground near places like creeks and rivers.

But wandering salamanders are a little different!

Many of them live their entire lives in the redwood forest canopy!

I know!

It is surprising.

But do you remember when we talked about how the redwood tree branches criss cross and make a sort of mat?

Then we said that the leaves that fall on to these branches break down and turn into a sort of soil.

And that there was enough of this to hold on to the water that plants need to grow.

The water there is enough for the wandering salamander, too!

It has a nice home in the mosses and other plants that grow in the canopy.

Tiny little insects live in the area, too...

so there’s plenty for the salamander to eat.

There’s everything that the wandering salamander needs to live right in the middle of the canopy!

So let’s put our salamander here… on our mossy patch.

Let’s try one more!

This beautiful bird is called the marbled murrelet.

Mother birds look like this: kind of a brown color, speckled all over with white spots.

And their eggs are greenish, with dark spots.

Hm.

Where do you think they would build their nests?

Yes, definitely!

Way up here near the top of the tree.

Murrelets can fly into the top part of the canopy to build their nests.

And with all of their spots and speckles, mother murrelets and their eggs have patterns on them that look a lot like the spots and speckles caused by the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

So their colors help them to blend into the leaves, which keeps them safe from other animals that might attack them.

Being this far up also helps, too, since lots of animals can’t climb that high.

Hey… now our tree is looking even better!

And it doesn’t only look good…

it’s a great way to help us remember what we’ve learned about the animals that live in the redwood forest!

That’s a great idea, Squeaks!

Squeaks wants to head to the library to check out some books about the redwoods, and look for some more things to add to our tree.

So we’re going to head out!

Thanks for joining us here at The Fort!

If you want to keep learning and having fun with me, Squeaks, Mister Brown, and all our other friends,

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