Behind the Pages

Ari Rockland-Miller took over the Foraging column (page 31) in the Spring 2026 issue. He is a writer, instructor, and lecturer on wild and cultivated mushrooms and edible plants and the co-founder of The Mushroom Forager, LLC. Ari has been sharing his passion for and knowledge of mushroom hunting and edible plants for more than 15 years and has facilitated presentations, workshops, and forays to thousands of mycophiles from around the world. His writing has appeared in publications including Edible Vermont, Vermont Almanac, and Long Trail News. Ari became an expert in cultivating shiitake mushrooms in agroforestry systems when he managed Cornell University’s agroforestry teaching site and farm. Ari also is the land use programs manager for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. He holds a B.A. from Brown University and a J.D. from Vermont Law School. Photo by Jenna Antonino DiMare.

Dozens of people contribute to creating each issue of Northern Woodlands. Here are a few of the people whose work is featured in the Summer magazine.

From left: Anthony D. Fredericks, Catherine Wessel, Joanna Lentini, and Erica Qualey.

Anthony D. Fredericks (Knots & Bolts, “Box Huckleberry: The Senior Citizen of the Forest,” page 28) has authored numerous nature books for children, including Tall Tall Tree (Dawn Publications, 2017) and A is for Anaconda: A Rainforest Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Press, 2009), and adult titles such as In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey among Ancient Trees (Smithsonian Books, 2023) and The Healing Wisdom of the Forest: Timeless Lessons of Renewal, Tranquility, and Joy (HCI Books, 2025). His writing awards include the Isaac Newton League Book of the Year and the Newton Marasco Foundation Green Earth Book Award. Photo by Phyllis Disher Fredericks.

Catherine Wessel (“Canis soupus: The Curious Case of Eastern Canines,” page 36) is the assistant editor at Northern Woodlands, where she manages The Outside Story and the Community Voices interview series, as well as helps edit the magazine. She spent many years working in the outdoors – conducting songbird surveys, teaching kindergarteners how to canoe, and monitoring salt marshes, among other things – before earning an M.S. in plant biology from University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program. She lives in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, where she enjoys botanizing, reading in hammocks, and exploring by kayak and skis. Photo by Will Durkin. 

Joanna Lentini (“Pond Patrol: Keeping an Invasive Bladderwort in Check,” page 60) is a photographer and writer focused on the nuanced, often overlooked details of the natural world. Her work is rooted in time spent observing wild places where she documents both beauty and complexity. Through photography and storytelling, she invites a closer look at species and ecosystems that are easily missed but deeply significant. (In this photo, she is holding a hellbender salamander in North Carolina.) Photo by JJ Apodaca.

Erica Qualey (Illustration for A Place in Mind, page 80) is a Maine-based watercolor artist and teaching artist whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She is an award-winning member of the New England Watercolor Society, and her painting Melting into Spring was featured in the 19th edition of Splash. Alongside her studio practice, Erica is passionate about teaching, leading workshops and retreats both in the United States and abroad. She recently received a grant from the Maine Arts Commission to expand her work as a virtual educator, bringing creative opportunities to rural communities. Photo by Katya Martin.