The Outside Story

Soon after moving to Vermont 25 years ago, I began to hear a common lament, delivered with a slow shake of the head and a sigh of Yankee resignation. “There’s no springtime here.…

The first Easter bunnies around here were probably New England cottontails, a unique species found only in New England. They look so much like the more widespread eastern cottontail that…

In every season, there is something red about red maple. Its beautiful flowers, most often red but occasionally yellow, are among the earliest glories of spring. Even the unfurling leaves are…

In the realm of nature, mysteries often unfold beyond the limits of our perception. Not so with spring peepers. Stand at the edge of any wetland when peepers have reached full voice, and you…

What are we to make of the Connecticut River mudpuppies? And what is a mudpuppy, anyway? It is not a dirty dog. It’s not a canine of any sort. It is a salamander, and a big, ugly salamander…

In one form or another – eggs, larvae, pupae, nymphs, adults – insects are as much with us when it’s below zero as they are in July. Some, tucked away, become inactive before the…

In one form or another – eggs, larvae, pupae, nymphs, adults – insects are as much with us when it’s below zero as they are in July. Some, tucked away, become inactive…

By this time of year, most local farmers and gardeners have finished pawing through the seed catalogs and planning this summer’s harvest. What most have tried not to think about is the other…

What was it we learned about earthworms? When we were kids, they were squiggly things that either fascinated or disgusted us. If we fished, they were likely the key to our first angling…

Could it really be true that no two snowflakes are alike? Most New England school children are raised with the story of Warren “Snowflake” Bentley of Jericho, Vermont, an introverted…

Spreading salt to make treacherous ice magically disappear from road surfaces must have seemed brilliant in the early days of its use. Naturally occurring, abundant, and cheap, road salt…

We humans are pretty lucky when it comes to winter. When the temperature plunges to 20 below, we can venture bravely forth clad in our stylish new slim-puffy jackets and Ugg boots. But what…

How many times in your life have you seen a deer antler? Not hanging on someone’s wall, but out in the woods? If you answered “never,” you’re in good company. Few people have. Which,…

As you stand poised at the edge of the winter woods, it may be hard to imagine that within that stark, white, silent landscape, the resident animals are going about their routine of finding…

At the beginning of each winter, I snowshoe past a few rock ledges near my house to see if there are any local porcupines in residence. Some winters there is a lot of activity, but during…

At the age of nine, I bought a mail-order telescope. I practically lived at the post office until it arrived. I soon dropped a marble down the telescope’s barrel (don’t ask), and the…

We brought our just-cut Christmas white spruce inside from the cold, nearby forest. Within the hour, little creatures, abruptly warmed, skittered across the living-room floor as I scrambled in…

Canines, including wolves, foxes, coyotes, and – yes – Spot, have something special that enables them to live in the North: tough feet. If you marvel at Spot’s blissful,…

The coldest night of the year. It’s still too soon to know when it will occur this year, but whichever night it is, it’s almost certain to have three things going for it: it will be clear,…

Chances are you have seen a victim of white pine blister rust. I think it’s safe to say that most big dead white pines – the ones with the remains of large crowns, not those that were…