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May 18th, 2026 Reader Photo Gallery

April 2026

Our readers shared some memorable wildlife sightings and signs of spring in this month’s gallery. Karen Suhrhoff shared two adorable photos of a local fox family in South Portland, Maine; Lynette Reep found Dutchman’s breeches in Burlington, Vermont; and Sandy Miklas Dannis spotted two tiny black bear cubs tucked up in a tree in Dalton, New Hampshire.

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This gallery is made possible through generous support from R. Timothy Larsen / Larsen Fund.

Fox mama Photo: Karen Suhrhoff
South Portland, ME. “A lovely moment with a mother fox and one of her kits.” | Photo: Karen Suhrhoff
Belted kingfisher Photo: Mike Parisio
Pittston, ME. “Belted kingfisher enjoying a big breakfast after an April ‘big night’ on Three-Quarter Pond.” | Photo: Mike Parisio
Bear cubs Photo: Sandy Miklas Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Two tiny black bear cubs stashed up a tree by momma so she could go off to feed.” | Photo: Sandy Miklas Dannis
Dutchmans breeches Photo: Lynette Reep
Burlington, VT. “Dutchman’s breeches.” | Photo: Lynette Reep
Trillium Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Morris, PA. “The unusual/rare yellow form of the common purple trillium.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Wood duck Photo: Amy Quist
Heath, MA. “Quick glimpse of a wood duck.” | Photo: Amy Quist
Barred owl Photo: Ashley Collins
Washington, VT. “Barred owl.” | Photo: Ashley Collins
Plant shadow Photo: Amberlyn Wenner
Corinth, NY. “Leaf capturing a beautiful shadow.” | Photo: Amberlyn Wenner
Trillium Photo: Bekky Honkala
Wilmington, NY. “Red trillium.” | Photo: Bekky Honkala
Gnatcatcher Photo: Carol Roede
Lincoln, MA. “Blue-gray gnatcatcher about to pick a larva off a branch.” | Photo: Carol Roede
Mayflower Photo: Debra Clough
Grafton, NH. “Trailing Arbutus, the Mayflower. During the depression, my Dad as a child sold bouquets of these at the Mayflower ship in Plymouth, Massachusetts.” | Photo: Debra Clough
Robin Photo: Ken Hatch
Bethel, VT. “A cold morning and a little spring snow did not keep this robin from gathering material for nest building.” | Photo: Ken Hatch
Butterfly on flower Photo: Dawn Brooks
Richmond, MA. “A West Virginia white butterfly basks on a Carolina spring beauty amidst a fragrant patch of ramps.” | Photo: Dawn Brooks
Family nature Photo: Don Root
Canadice, NY. “Grandpa and grandsons visit Canadice Lake.” | Photo: Don Root
Little bluets Photo: Rachel Courtney
Dublin, NH. “Houstonia caerulea, little bluet.” | Photo: Rachel Courtney
Hooded merganser Photo: Derek Grahn
Cummington, MA. “Hooded merganser checking out the pond.” | Photo: Derek Grahn
Bluebird Photo: Ross Lanius
North Haven, CT. “Bluebird off to get worms.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Blood root Photo: Sheri Larsen
Colchester, VT. “Blood root in the woods. I love how the leaf forms a circle around the flower.” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Loon Photo: Robert Piepsny
Chagrin Falls, OH. “Loon on LaDue Reservoir.” | Photo: Robert Piepsny
Tree frog Photo: Karinne Heise
Warner, NH. “A well-camouflaged gray tree frog resting alongside the bark of an old apple tree.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Spring beauties Photo: Judy Sweet
Buckland, MA. “Spring beauties nestled in the woods.” | Photo: Judy Sweet
Stone tower Photo: Ellen Simard
Lynn, MA. “Stone Tower on Burrill Hill - Lynn Woods Reservation.” | Photo: Ellen Simard
Sapsucker Photo: Charlie Schwarz
South Williamsport, PA. “An adult male yellow-bellied sapsucker showing his red crown and throat.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Fairy shrimp Photo: Jackie Robidoux
Merrimack, NH. “Fairy shrimp.” | Photo: Jackie Robidoux
Cardinal eggs Photo: Jeanna Leclerc
Winthrop, ME. “Northern cardinal nest.” | Photo: Jeanna Leclerc
Brook flow Photo: John Kilmarx
Lyme, NH. “The brook in early April.” | Photo: John Kilmarx
Woodcock nest Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Vinalhaven, ME. “Woodcock on nest.” | Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
vernal pool eggs Photo: Sheri Larsen
Bolton, VT. “Wood frog egg mass in vernal pool in Camel’s Hump State Forest.” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Sunrise Photo: Leif Tillotson
Highgate, VT. “Sunrise.” | Photo: Leif Tillotson
Fox Photo: Amy Quist
Heath, MA. “Caught through the window, a red fox pauses after strolling up the driveway.” | Photo: Amy Quist
Fiddlehead Photo: Lynette Reep
Burlington, VT. “An early fiddlehead (nascent fern) found in a local hardwood forest.” | Photo: Lynette Reep
Red eft Photo: Suzan Leiter
Dresden, ME. “Red eft.” | Photo: Suzan Leiter
Trout lily Photo: Ken Hatch
Bethel, VT. “It is not really known why some trout lilies have reddish brown anthers and some have yellow. Some research suggests certain insects may prefer one color over the other.” | Photo: Ken Hatch
Box turtle Photo: Sally Gebben
Allegan, MI. “Eastern box turtle.” | Photo: Sally Gebben
Great north woods Photo: Sandy Miklas Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Winter continued to flirt with spring well into April in the great north woods.” | Photo: Sandy Miklas Dannis
Painted trillium Photo: Rachel Courtney
Dublin, NH. “Trillium undulatum, painted trillium, painted wakerobin, just emerging.” | Photo: Rachel Courtney
Squirrel corn Photo: Sharon Bombard
Adams, MA. “Squirrel corn starting to flower.” | Photo: Sharon Bombard
Fox family Photo: Karen Suhrhoff
South Portland, ME. “Our local fox family!” | Photo: Karen Suhrhoff
Cascading brook Photo: Karinne Heise
Warner, NH. “A brook cascading over the roots of an old yellow birch after an April rainstorm.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Maple Photo: Judy Sweet
Buckland, MA. “Bright new leaf on a gnarly old maple.” | Photo: Judy Sweet
Canada goose nest Photo: Jackie Robidoux
Merrimack, NH. “Canada goose on nest.” | Photo: Jackie Robidoux
Fox kits Photo: Terry Cumming
Severn, Ontario, Canada. “Vixen with four kits about four weeks old perhaps, outside of their den.” | Photo: Terry Cumming
Chaga Photo: Joyce Layne
Stow, ME. “Perfect chunk of chaga on a beautiful old yellow birch.” | Photo: Joyce Layne
Mourning cloak Photo: Karen Dapp
Warrensville, PA. “An early spring friend, the mourning cloak butterfly, happily welcomes you to the forest.” | Photo: Karen Dapp
Trillium Photo: Gwen Nagel
Bridgton, ME. “A promise of yellow trillium.” | Photo: Gwen Nagel

Submit Your Photos to the Reader Gallery

We’re always thrilled to see what’s happening in the Northeast through your eyes. Each season, we feature approximately 50 reader-submitted images in our online gallery. To be considered, please send us photos taken within the past month.

You may submit up to three photos per person. While we can’t publish every submission, we carefully consider each one.

When reviewing submissions, we look for:

  • A variety of topics and subjects
  • High-quality, well-composed images
  • Good resolution (prefer images at least 1000 pixels on the longer edge)
  • Geographic diversity across the region

Before submitting, please read and agree to the terms and conditions below. These give Northern Woodlands a perpetual license to use your photographs. If your image isn’t selected for the gallery but we’d like to feature it elsewhere, we’ll reach out to you.

Having trouble submitting? You can also email your photo(s) and caption(s) to: Nancy (at) northernwoodlands.org. Please use the subject line: Reader Photo Submission. And don’t forget to confirm in your email that you’ve read and agreed to our terms and conditions.

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