Diana Kromgals, age 13, of East Gary, Ind. For her question:

Why do woodpeckers peck telephone poles?

The woodpecker dines on the grubs and insects which burrow into tree trunks, branches and fallen logs. When you hear his echoing tap tap tap he is most likely digging for his dinner. He may, however, be digging himself a hole in the wood to make a nest or perhaps~a bedroom in which to sleep.
Mrs. Woodpecker does not bother much with the education of her children so the busy a tapper most likely learned his skills from his father. Telephone poles are rather new in the world and, of course, they are made from trees. They are treated with chemicals to keep out insects but the woodpecker does not know this. He attacks the pole just as he attacks a tree, hoping to find a grub or bug    and sometimes he is lucky.