Topiary
Browsing deer make this sculpture. Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), with its spiky leaves, grows in a mound, wider and wider, browsed by deer but with the older leaves forming a dense thicket. A few of these can be seen on the left. When the mound becomes wide enough, the deer can no longer reach the center. A sprout bursts out, rising, to fulfil its destiny as a tree. 9:05 am, Birding Transect Trail.