Let this be another reminder to not be out in the woods during a storm. Last Saturday, Sept. 4, a series of thunderstorms crossed over Southeast Missouri delivering heavy rain and strong wind gusts to some areas.

The dead limb you see in my photo fell from the sprawling soft maple in the near background. The dead limb came crashing from the tree and was driven several inches into the ground like a post. You can be glad you were not standing there.

A close look at the dead limb shows evidence that woodpeckers had chipped out holes in the limb, weakening it.