The Outside Story

Since the 1960s, the overall number of birds in at least one of our local forests has been declining. Not the number of species, but the total number of birds. This observation comes from…

The turtle was lying on the white line marking the road edge as I pulled my car over to move it. It was a small painted turtle, and its shell had a deep crack across it. She was taking her…

I was transported back to 1977 the other day, when I flipped to the peregrine falcon page in an old field guide. I saw that the bird’s range at that time was funneled down from widespread in…

By early June, when the growing season seems to be just getting up to speed, some of our most beautiful woodland wildflowers will have already come and gone. To find any sign of trout lily,…

Sea lamprey have been called the least-understood fish of the Connecticut River. Their very appearance can be startling: long, skinny, and eel-like, with a round mouth and no obvious gills.…

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…