Most lakes are surrounded by trees and over time the living or dead trees fall into the forest or into the lake.   Some lakes are dammed and the floodwaters drown living trees, leaving standing snags, broken stumps, and logs.

As the logs and stumps lie in the water, they become waterlogged.   Some sink, some decay, some break off, and over time we end up with small sections of above-water logs and stumps near the shoreline.    As the wood decays, it also becomes host to insects and decomposers.   Moss and lichens grow on the wet fibers.     Eventually the small “islands” become the hosts of perennial plants and even small shrubs.   A few examples are shared here.

This was a nurse stump with plants growing into the wood,  in the lake.

nurse water stump

These log tops have perennial grasses growing in them.

and

Some perennials like field mint and marsh skullcap can establish themselves on the “floating islands.”

So if you are walking along a lakeshore or paddling a lake, watch for aquatic stumps and logs.

In the popular novel “Life of Pi”, the main character lands on a floating island in the ocean, all covered in vegetation.   This may be the closest thing to it in our area.