Not so long ago, nearly every home in Southeast Missouri was heated by burning firewood in a stove or fireplace. This meant somebody had to go out into the woods and cut the firewood. Usually that person was "the man of the house." Gathering firewood could, on occasion, prove very dangerous. Falling limbs can carry enough weight to strike a killing blow to an unfortunate man and, for that reason, dead limbs hanging in trees (as well as dead snags leaning in other trees) became known as "widowmakers."

When I was a young boy, I learned to stay a good distance away from any tree that was being cut down for firewood. A widowmaker limb might fall.

As this picture shows, sometimes nature creates her own widowmaker. A tree has died, the root system weakened over time, and wind probably blew the dead tree over. Its limbs became caught in those of a living tree that was strong enough to prevent the dead tree from crashing to the ground. A dead tree may hang against another tree for several months before it rots and weakens enough to complete the fall. A decisive gust of wind is usually what brings the dead tree down. Be mindful of widowmakers when you are hiking in the beautiful Missouri woods. Be especially watchful if you go into the woods on a windy day.