Trace of a pest

[ladylouise62]

This tree has lost loads of its bark, but under one part you can see the traces of something that made its home there - I don't know it it was creature or plant, but I like to think that it's a small beetle type thing, maybe a line of eggs that hatched out and all made their way outwards... although could be root damage as well.
Any ideas?

[rolf]

That's quite amazing, love the near symmetry of the exit channels.

[ladylouise62]

It's fascinating isn't it? I love how just wandering through the undergrowth allows your mind to make up stories about what might have happened

[Catherine]

Oh, dear!

(I hadn't seen this post earlier - just reading it now as I prepare to post here myself.)

Was it an Elm tree? It looks very like the work of the Beetle which carries what's called 'Dutch Elm Disease', and which is fatal to trees.
Dutch elm disease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you see such a tree, you need to notify the council who might either bear, or assist in, the cost of its removal.

[ladylouise62]

Oh, goodness - it does look like it, doesn't? It looks to have happened a long time ago, and as it's part of a park and on the pathway I suspect that it was spotted... I will look into notifying it any way, just in case.