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August 2021

Your August photos showed woody landscape scenes, as well as an abundance of late summer small life, from a temporarily blue-eyed snake to the unfortunately named bleeding teeth fungi. Although summer was fading, there were still plenty of youngsters to be found, from Russ Lanius’s squabbling osprey fledglings to Cheryl Metcalf’s coyote pup. Two photographers shared surprising interior views. Kirk T. Gentalen photographed the contents of a ghost pipe flower, while Hale Morrell inspected the spore-packed insides of a puffball.

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Canada lynx Photo: Karen L. Bruder
Northern Maine Woods-unorganized territory, ME. “A golden opportunity on the Golden Road. Female Canada lynx with kittens.” | Photo: Karen L. Bruder
Coral fungus Photo: Will Murphy
Tamworth, NH. “Purple coral growing near an apple tree in a field. The enlargement looks like electron microscopy.” | Photo: Will Murphy
Green frog Photo: Rosalyn Lincoln
Richmond, MA. “A green frog lounging by a small pond.” | Photo: Rosalyn Lincoln
Great blue heron Photo: Erika Senglaub
Seneca Falls, NY. “Great blue heron - Montezuma Wildlife Refuge.” | Photo: Erika Senglaub
Night sky Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Piermont, NH. “End of a day at Lake Tarlton.” | Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Monarch Photo: Paul Constantino
Burlington, VT. “Monarch caterpillars on butterfly weed.” | Photo: Paul Constantino
Birds Nest Fungus Photo: AM Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Tiny bird's nest fungi (Crucibulum) seen along a woodland trail.” | Photo: AM Dannis
Eastern garter Photo: Rosalyn Lincoln
Richmond, MA. “An eastern garter snake hanging out in the garden.” | Photo: Rosalyn Lincoln
Deer Photo: Lonnie Jandreau
Ashland, ME. An alert deer. | Photo: Lonnie Jandreau
Grasshopper Photo: Will Murphy
Tamworth, NH. “A grasshopper waltzing with his reflection in my car window.” | Photo: Will Murphy
Coyote Photo: Cheryl Metcalf
Brighton, VT. “Coyote pup practicing hunting skills in Silvio O. Conte Wildlife Refuge.” | Photo: Cheryl Metcalf
Swallowtail Photo: Cheryl Metcalf
Tunbridge, VT. “Black swallowtail butterfly dusted in pollen from milk thistle.” | Photo: Cheryl Metcalf
Puffball Photo: Hale Morrell
Brattleboro, VT. “A striking pigskin puffball.” | Photo: Hale Morrell
Birds Photo: AM Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Hidden among the ferns a brood of hatchlings anxiously awaits mom's return.” | Photo: AM Dannis
Golden spindles Photo: Karinne Heise
Warner, NH. “More fungi fireworks -- golden spindles.” This fungus also goes by the names yellow coral and spindle-shaped yellow coral. | Photo: Karinne Heise
Sphinx Moth Photo: Stephen Fox
Concord, NH. “White-lined sphinx moth caterpillar in full defense mode.” | Photo: Stephen Fox
Snapping turtle Photo: Tom Grett
Lancaster County, PA. “Adult female snapping turtle.” | Photo: Tom Grett
Stinkhorn Photo: Si Balch
Brooklin, ME. “Stinkhorn mushroom - witch's egg.” | Photo: Si Balch
Purple coral Photo: Laurie Harville
Lyman, NH. “We were hiking on our property and this striking purple color just appeared in front of me on the forest floor. We've seen many interesting fungi species this summer, but nothing like this.” This is one of several hard-to-distinguish purple corals in the Clavaria genus. | Photo: Laurie Harville
Ospreys Photo: Sheri Larsen
Shelburne, VT. “Adult ospreys flying in and out of the nest. They are feeding two youngsters who are hidden in the nest.” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Abol trail Photo: Jennifer Brockway
Baxter State Park, ME. “Long climb ahead, Abol slide and beyond to the Tablelands of Mt Katahdin from the Abol Trail.” | Photo: Jennifer Brockway
Garden spider Photo: Amy Quist
Heath, MA. “I understand now why the black and yellow garden spider is sometimes called the zig zag spider! This female constructed her web between some daylily stalks in my yard.” | Photo: Amy Quist
Baby bird Photo: David George
South Strafford, VT. “Babies over the tiny house door.” | Photo: David George
Slime mold Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Littleton, NH. “The fruit bodies of the slime mold Leocarpus fragilis on a birch twig.” | Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
August sky Photo: Clare Lise Kelly
Richmond, MA. “Evening sky in the Berkshires.” | Photo: Clare Lise Kelly
Rat Snake Photo: Tom Grett
Lancaster County, PA. “Eastern black rat snake is almost ready to shed its skin. Notice the eye. This eye color change happens as a result of skin loosening and fluid building up between the old and new skin layers. At the peak of this transformation, the snake's eyes take on a milky blue or blue-gray color. This pre-shedding event can take one or two weeks, and it makes the snake nearly blind.” | Photo: Tom Grett
Bull elks Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Winslow Hill, PA. “Not quite twins - a pair of bull elk that have shed their antlers’ velvet.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Crab spider Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Tenants Harbor, ME. “Watched this crab spider nail 5 flies in 4 days. Good times.” | Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Mergansers Photo: Sheri Larsen
Colchester, VT. “How many common mergansers can you count?” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Groundnut Photo: Jennifer Brockway
Troy, ME. “American groundnut, Apios americana, blooming on a dewy morning alongside a woodland trail.” | Photo: Jennifer Brockway
Beetle Photo: Tom Grett
Lancaster County, PA. “Dogbane leaf beetle. The brilliant metallic hues of this beetle tell the world “don’t eat me.” These beetles feed on the poisonous dogbane plant and are immune to the potentially lethal cardiac glycosides the plant contains. The beetle stores these cardiac glycosides in glands and can secrete them if threatened by a predator.” | Photo: Tom Grett
Water drops Photo: Danielle Mattraw
Enosburg Falls, VT. “Water droplets.” | Photo: Danielle Mattraw
Milky way Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Piermont, NH. “The Milky Way galaxy over Lake Katherine at midnight.” | Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Spider Photo: Pam Landry
Montague, MA. “Appreciating the less often appreciated. Nursery web spider on native Rudbeckia laciniata.” | Photo: Pam Landry
Indian Pipe Photo: Michelle Vigeant
Amherst, MA. “Ethereal pipes.” | Photo: Michelle Vigeant
Bulldozer Photo: Alex Barrett
Wardsboro, VT. “A bulldozer heading out to put in some temporary water bars on a haul road during our rainy summer.” | Photo: Alex Barrett
White Admiral Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Plymouth, NH. “White admiral butterfly takes a rest on a branch of balsam fir.” | Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Horsehair fungus Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Elimsport, PA. A Marasmius fungus, “one of the tiny fungi found in woodlands.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Rock art Photo: Janet Innes
Barkhamsted, CT. “People’s Forest rock art.” | Photo: Janet Innes
Bog Orchid Photo: Ber Richardson and Terry Souers
Middlebury, VT. “Greater purple fringed bog orchid, Abbey Pond Trail.” | Photo: Ber Richardson and Terry Souers
Osprey Photo: Ross Lanius
Branford, CT. “Found these juvenile ospreys face to face squawking as I was walking on the Trolley Trail.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Butterfly Photo: Amy Quist
Heath, MA. “With its perfectly coiled proboscis, a red-spotted purple butterfly soaks up the morning sunshine on my front porch.” | Photo: Amy Quist
Coral fungus Photo: Clare Lise Kelly
Monterey, MA. “Upright coral fungus.” | Photo: Clare Lise Kelly
Tiger moth Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Lyman, NH. “Perched on a leaf in the early morning light, a tiger moth displays its namesake colors.” | Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Spider web Photo: Stephen Fox
Pittsburg, NH. “There were three of these large spiders within 2 feet of each other under the eave.” | Photo: Stephen Fox
Monarch Photo: Lois Wicklow
Francestown, NH. “Monarch metamorphosis.” | Photo: Lois Wicklow
Bleeding teeth Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Tenants Harbor, ME. “Good August for bleeding teeth.” This is the fruiting body of Hydnellum peckii, also called strawberries and cream fungus. | Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Sandy river Photo: Jennifer Brockway
Starks, ME. “Joe-pye weed in bloom along the Sandy River.” | Photo: Jennifer Brockway
Damselfly Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Campton, NH. “A pair of spreadwing damselflies mating.” | Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Beaver pond Photo: Steve Gallagher
Worcester, VT. “Sunset over a beaver pond.” | Photo: Steve Gallagher
Bracket fungus Photo: Ross Lanius
North Haven, CT. “This bright red orange bracket fungus retained its vivid coloring for about a week.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Garden spider Photo: Bonnie Honaberger
Snydertown, PA. “A garden orb spider decided to live in my one garden this year. Why does something so pretty make me run in the other direction?!” | Photo: Bonnie Honaberger
Bullfrog Photo: Tom Grett
Lancaster County, PA. “Male bullfrog. You can tell this is a male bullfrog because the tympanum (the round external ear ) is larger than the eye.” | Photo: Tom Grett
Warbler Photo: Karinne Heise
Deering, NH. “Chestnut-sided warbler munching on a katydid.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Walking stick Photo: Bonnie Honaberger
Snydertown, PA. “When I shared this picture of a walking stick on a game camera, my grandson said that the walking stick was trying to take a selfie!!” | Photo: Bonnie Honaberger
Bobcat Photo: Chuck Dinsmore
Damariscotta, ME. “’Bob-kitty’ posed for the game-cam behind our house in Damariscotta; check the leggings: ’Mom told me to go play in the marsh with the frogs ;-)’” | Photo: Chuck Dinsmore
Cotton grass Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Franconia, NH. “On a recent hike I came across a large cluster of cotton grass growing in a wet meadow.” | Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Exploring Photo: Jennifer Brockway
Baxter State Park, ME. “Intrepid explorer, Upper South Branch Pond.” | Photo: Jennifer Brockway
Tussock moth Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Torbert, PA. “The sycamore tussock moth's caterpillar has "hairs" that can be irritating to some people. As the name indicates they feed on sycamore leaves.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Ghost pipe Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Tenants Harbor, ME. “Ghost pipes rule.” | Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Sandpiper Photo: Ross Lanius
Madison, CT. “Found this solitary sandpiper and reflection in Boulder Pond, Hammonasset State Park. Aptly named, didn't see another solitary sandpiper.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Monarch Photo: Sally Cornwell
Brookfield, NH. “Monarch chrysalis.” | Photo: Sally Cornwell
Fungus Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Lyman, NH. “The delicate parasol-like fruiting bodies of the fungus Marasmius capillaris growing out of the leaf litter after a prolonged wet period.” | Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Black bear Photo: AM Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Morning visitor in the garden.” | Photo: AM Dannis
Turtleheads Photo: Sheri Larsen
Essex, VT. “Turtleheads in the woods. When I see these flowers I know that fall is just around the corner.” | Photo: Sheri Larsen

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