William La Fisca shows trees that were carved into animals at his home in Summit Township on June 24, 2011. Butler Eagle File Photo

William La Fisca’s yard in Summit Township became populated by animals by June 2011, attracting everything from groundhogs and squirrels to snakes and deer.

La Fisca decided to stick with that theme when he chopped down three trees by his house and had the stumps carved into animal shapes. La Fisca hired Punxsutawney-based artist Randy Rupert, owner of The Wizard’s Workshop, to turn the stumps into art.

The result is three wooden works of art representing a bear, three cubs, two eagles, a squirrel and a frog.

“I wanted to do something rather than just cut them down and tear them out. They were nice trees, but their roots were coming out of the ground and one was leaning toward the power lines,” La Fisca said.

“Rather than just destroy them, we thought we'd make something out of them.”

Rupert’s work appeared in the Bill Murray comedy “Groundhog Day,” for which he carved all of the ice sculptures.