old man of the forest being consumed by fungi!

Thats amazing how did you spot him?

thanks, Drc726... check the next photo... it is part of a tree limb which fell off of a cottonwood tree in my back yard. the wind was very high and I heard a tremendous crack and thump... it just missed taking out my fence... I noticed the face in the crotch grain...it's been sitting outside about 18 months and the fungi have just started to work on it...the rest of the huge limb stands in my garden with a bird feeder attached...I have a pic of a squirrel sitting on top of it...

Its really great. Is it a hard wood? perhaps it should be treated with wood preservative as its outside?

I don't think I'll bother to preserve it.... it's nature's face and should be subject to nature's ways... I enhanced the features so that they were slightly more visible so it's not entirely natural...but when I unearthed it this autumn and it was covered with those wonderful fungi it just seemed appropriate! He's my garden's guardian. I have not checked out cottonwood trees but I know that they are in the same family and aspen and poplar...they are extremely fast growing and very hardy....they grow along river valleys on the Canadian prairies. I would not have planted it myself...it was here before I came.