Bone by Bone

I found this deer antler last month in the last thin layer of March snow on the mountain. About a foot long, a few worn tines, and clearly not new—time and teeth have already worked it over. You can see the story written into it: edges softened, surface etched with tiny grooves and marks left behind by small, sharp teeth. Mice and voles—maybe others passing through—have been taking their turns. Antlers aren’t just remnants; they’re resources. Rich in calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals, they become part of the quiet economy of the forest floor. In late winter especially, when nutrients are scarce, these shed pieces of bone help sustain the smallest lives moving under leaves and snow. What the deer leaves behind doesn’t go to waste. It’s taken apart slowly, shared out, and folded back into the landscape—bone by bone. Deer antler in snow The post Bone by Bone appeared first on Appalachian Ground.