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January 10th, 2024 Reader Photo Gallery

December 2023

Your December photos included winter birds, early ice, and evidence of squirrels’ appreciation for this year’s bountiful white pine cone supply. In Kingsbury Plantation, Maine, Kent Nelson enjoyed the rare sight of an inverted rainbow, and also in Maine, George Wheelwright and some companions found an especially odd example of beaver woodworks. Check out Ken Hatch’s image of a taphole coffee table, and Lucy Birkett’s easy-to-miss, but cool find: the winter home of a pine tube moth.

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This gallery is made possible through generous support from the Larsen Fund.

Great horned owl Photo: Sam Cox
Alvordton, OH. “I was walking along a trail through the woods when I noticed that the ground next to the trail was covered in whitewash and pellets. I looked up and found that there was a great horned owl staring back at me. I quickly backed away and took a few pictures.” | Photo: Sam Cox
Lichens Photo: Bekky Honkala
Wilmington, NY. “Various lichens in Adirondack Park.” | Photo: Bekky Honkala
Glacial erratic Photo: Deb Clough
Madison, NH. “Madison Boulder glacial erratic.” | Photo: Deb Clough
Icy woods Photo: Kathy Leonard
Randolph Center, VT. “Ice forming on a small pool in our woods.” | Photo: Kathy Leonard
Gray jays Photo: Tom Grett
Northern Adirondacks, NY. “A friendly gray jay in the northern Adirondacks.” | Photo: Tom Grett
Salmon falls Photo: Richard Philben
Shelburne, MA. “Salmon Falls after the December deluge of rain.” | Photo: Richard Philben
Pussytoes Photo: Ross Lanius
North Haven, CT. “Normally viewed small plants may be uninteresting until viewed through a magnifying glass or photographed with a macro lens. Then the details become visible as with this pussytoes wildflower.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Black dome Photo: Nancy Allen
Greene County, NY. “Black Dome Ridge.” | Photo: Nancy Allen
Snow shape Photo: Lucy K. Wyman
Mt. Jackson, NH. “I just stumbled on this in the saddle between Jackson and Webster and it reminded me of a meringue.” | Photo: Lucy K. Wyman
Star stump Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Conway, MA. “A star pattern of some kind of fungus in the heartwood of a tree stump found in the Conway State Forest.” | Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Black capped chickadee Photo: Charlie Schwarz
South Williamsport, PA. “The little boy of the woods, a black-capped chickadee in a silky dogwood shrub.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Forest snow man Photo: Sheri Larsen
Essex Town, VT. “This cute snowman made with all-natural products was found along a local trail earlier this month (at a time when there was snow!).” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Lenticular clouds Photo: Jen Adams
Campton, NH. “Sunset lenticular clouds over Tecumseh.” | Photo: Jen Adams
Witch hazel blossoms Photo: Susan Cloutier
New Salem, MA. “Witch hazel blossoms provide color and nectar.” | Photo: Susan Cloutier
Maine muskrats Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Tenants Harbor, ME. “Muskrats.” | Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Old ash tree Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Plainfield, MA. “Ancient white ash on a stone wall stands over the nearby barn. Land owner has donated a parcel of her property to the Franklin Land Trust earlier this year.” | Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Haircap moss Photo: Ross Lanius
North Haven, CT. “Patches of haircap moss abound at the edge of the woods. The small stalks have many branches when view up close.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Beaver activity Photo: George Wheelwright
Rural ME. “Amazing beaver activity.” | Photo: George Wheelwright
Moon sunrise Photo: Karinne Heise
Weare, NH. “Crescent moon at sunset.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Forest food Photo: Susan Lichty
Lempster, NH. “Hidden in plain sight.” | Photo: Susan Lichty
Old Mill Dam Photo: Nancy Halloran
Kingston, NH. “Site of an old mill dam in Tucker-French Conservation Land, a Southeast Land Trust property.” | Photo: Nancy Halloran
Christmas owl Photo: Sheri Larsen
Colchester, VT. “Barred owl greeted us on Christmas Day. What a great present!” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Earth star Photo: Jimmy Byun
Pelham, MA. “Christmas earthstar.” | Photo: Jimmy Byun
Winter sun Photo: Deb Clough
Grafton, NH. “Winter afternoon sun settling over the hill.” | Photo: Deb Clough
Bunchberry and seeds Photo: Sandy Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Remains of bunchberry (Cronus canadensis) vegetation and seed head.” | Photo: Sandy Dannis
Frozen meadow Photo: Jen Adams
Campton, NH. “Frozen meadow after the heavy rain.” | Photo: Jen Adams
Short eared owl Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Linden, PA. “Short-eared owls spend much of the winter hunting over the hayfields and pastures of north-central Pennsylvania.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Orange jelly Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Tenants Harbor, ME. “Orange jelly mushroom.” | Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Ice droplets Photo: Nancy Allen
Hunter, NY. “Ice droplets - Cook Brook.” | Photo: Nancy Allen
Dwarf mistletoe Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Tenants Harbor, ME. “Eastern dwarf mistletoe fruit roughly 8 months old.” | Photo: Kirk T. Gentalen
Bracket fungus Photo: Sheri Larsen
Hinesburg, VT. “While in the woods on a gray December day, the yellow color on a fallen log caught my eye. (I'm not sure what it is). The log also had some nice bracket fungi on it.” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Sky and ice Photo: Leif Tillotson
St. Albans, VT. Sky and ice reflection. | Photo: Leif Tillotson
Pine cone stump Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Putney, VT. “A cache of pine cones on a stump at Green Mountain Orchard.” | Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Pine tube moth Photo: Lucy Birkett
Freeport, ME. “Pine needle tube dwelling - where pine tube moth (Argyrotaenia pinatubana) larvae spend their winters, and pupate in spring.” | Photo: Lucy Birkett
Piebald deer Photo: Matty DeLuca
North Marshfield, MA. “A rare piebald deer grazing in the field.” | Photo: Matty DeLuca
Nuts on snow Photo: Karinne Heise
Warner, NH. “Beech nut shells and leaves on the snow.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Shoreline melt Photo: Steven Arcone
West Lebanon, NH. “Shoreline melt and re-crystallization of old ice blades, Chambers Pond.” | Photo: Steven Arcone
River swing Photo: Nancy Halloran
Andover, MA. “A monkey swing? Along the Merrimack River. Who’ll go first? Not me!” | Photo: Nancy Halloran
Lungwort lichen Photo: Jack Nelson
Hawley, MA. “Lungwort lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria) on a maple. Found in an old growth forest and sensitive to air pollution.” | Photo: Jack Nelson
Needle ice Photo: Sharon Bombard
Williamstown, MA. “Close-up of needle ice by the trail.” | Photo: Sharon Bombard
Forest rainbow Photo: Kent Nelson
Kingsbury Plantation, ME. “I took this photo while brushing out a trail on our family woodlot on Dec. 23, 2023. I looked up and saw the inverted rainbow. The temps were just below freezing and no wind.” | Photo: Kent Nelson
Crabapples Photo: Judy Sweet
Shelburne, MA. “Crabapples waiting for cedar waxwings to find them.” | Photo: Judy Sweet
Mossy log Photo: Penelope Harris
Cambridge, VT. “Moss, moss and more moss. Lack of snow gives moss a chance to show off.” | Photo: Penelope Harris
New pine Photo: Sandy Dannis
Dalton, NH. “New white pine (Pinus strobus).” | Photo: Sandy Dannis
Striped wintergreen Photo: Peggy Warwick
Montague, MA. “Striped wintergreen with seed pods.” | Photo: Peggy Warwick
Two streams Photo: Richard Philben
Shelburne, MA. “Two small streams created by the torrent of rain that inundated the East Coast this month.” | Photo: Richard Philben
Beautiful fungi Photo: Tom Grett
Northern Adirondacks, NY. “Found this beautiful fungi growing on an old maple stump.” (Editor’s note: this appears to be bear’s head tooth fungus). | Photo: Tom Grett
Ruffed grouse Photo: Michael V. Wilson
Otego, NY. A ruffed grouse. | Photo: Michael V. Wilson
Shoreline melt Photo: Steven Arcone
West Lebanon, NH. “Melt and re-crystallization of old shoreline ice blades.” | Photo: Steven Arcone
Pine mast Photo: Susan Cloutier
New Salem, MA. “White pine mast year are a bounty for red squirrels.” | Photo: Susan Cloutier
Strange trees Photo: C.J. Frankiewicz
Mount Tabor, VT. “A ? at the top of a white pine in Green Mountain National Forest near Otter Crick in Mt. Tabor.” | Photo: C.J. Frankiewicz
Beaver pond ice Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Conway, MA. “Ice patterns form around a stick chewed by a beaver at a pond in the Conway State Forest.” | Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Old bones Photo: Sharon Bombard
Williamstown, MA. “Old bones being chewed for the minerals (most likely cow bones that were set out on a big rock that borders these woods and the pasture nearby).” | Photo: Sharon Bombard
Plantain leaf sedge Photo: Judy Sweet
Buckland, MA. “Plantain leaf sedge among fallen leaves in mid-December.” This species is also known as, “seersucker sedge.” | Photo: Judy Sweet
Snowy mountain Photo: Sandy Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Mt. Lafayette looms above Fort Lake before December thaw.” | Photo: Sandy Dannis
Grouse drumming Photo: Stephen Rubino
Andover, VT. “Ruffed grouse near drumming log.” | Photo: Stephen Rubino
Mt Cube Photo: John Kilmarx
Orfordville, NH. “Mt. Cube on a 50-cent day.” | Photo: John Kilmarx
Yellow bellied sapsucker Photo: Charlie Schwarz
South Williamsport, PA. “A male yellow-bellied sapsucker making new holes in an apple tree.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Solstice sunrise Photo: Richard Philben
Shelburne, MA. “The winter solstice sunrise as seen from Wheel-View Farm.” | Photo: Richard Philben
Taphole table Photo: Ken Hatch
Plymouth Notch, VT. “Maple coffee table in the Coolidge Museum in Plymouth Notch Vermont showing how the wood is affected above and below the tap holes.” | Photo: Ken Hatch
Oyster mushrooms Photo: Sue Mayotte
Strafford, NH. “Beautiful find for mid-December. Large cluster of oyster mushrooms.” | Photo: Sue Mayotte
Mountain snow Photo: Karinne Heise
Warner, NH. “On the way up Kearsarge.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Windblown ice Photo: C.J. Frankiewicz
Addison, VT. “Foot long icicles from windblown wave splashes near Champlain Bridge on Lake Champlain.” | Photo: C.J. Frankiewicz
Walden hill Photo: Judy Sweet
Danville, VT. “View of Mt. Moosilauke from Walden Hill after heavy snowfall in early December.” | Photo: Judy Sweet
December buck Photo: Tom Grett
Northern Adirondacks, NY. “A handsome buck in the northern Adirondacks.” | Photo: Tom Grett

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