Woodpeckers are extremely opportunistic birds. This pair of pileated woodpeckers, one of the largest of its kind in the U.S., often finds tiny openings in the bark of the trees in my backyard in northwestern Pennsylvania. Each tree is a window, revealing tender morsels of food (grubs and ants are their favorites). Other trees provide great mansions for their young when it is time to nest. True creatures of the trees, the many beautiful species of woodpecker keep their attention focused on the magic to be found within the crevices and branches of their herbivorous playground.

When the woodpecker comes tapping into our lives, animistic tradition suggests it is a signal to use our heads. Just as the woodpecker uses its uniquely shaped head (beak) to hammer out solutions (food, shelter), we too can use our intellect, creativity, and perspective to find solutions to our own challenges, puzzles, and riddles. Being reminded that we have the ability within us to adapt and thrive in any situation is both comforting and affirming. 

The symbolic meaning of the woodpecker also calls us to consider creative vision. Being opportunistic, woodpeckers can see value everywhere, even in dead trees, fallen branches, and decomposing stumps. All of life’s experiences, situations, and encounters can be useful lessons or creative opportunities. Sometimes we too easily ditch an idea or give up on a project. Sometimes we pass over seemingly inconsequential things, discounting the world of beauty that thrives within a dead branch while searching for the perfect tree specimen. The woodpecker provides a subtle knocking reminder that doors and windows are all around us, even in unexpected places, just waiting to be explored.