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July 2024

There was no shortage of beauty in the July photo submissions! Our contributors captured a variety of summer sights, ranging from delicate orchids to colorful insects and young mammals, to evidence of the summer storms. In Greenwich, New York, Gwynne Pfeifer had a visitor in her mulberry tree, and Penelope Harris found a teeny frog in Cambridge, Vermont. Check out the cool ctenucha moth submitted by Susan Lichty.

The August 2024 Gallery will be available soon, stay-tuned!

We’re looking for September 2024 photos that relate to northeastern forests. Readers may submit up to three photos for consideration.

September Gallery Submission Deadline: Monday, September 30, 2024. This gallery appears in our bi-weekly e-newsletter. Sign up here!

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

Fledgling owls Photo: Stephanie Rinehart-Joseph
Windham, NH. “Fledgling owls.” | Photo: Stephanie Rinehart-Joseph
July Lightening Photo: Richard Philben
Shelburne, MA. “I caught this lightning bolt from my living room window at Wheel View Farm.” | Photo: Richard Philben
Small fox Photo: Allan Ryd
Stratton, ME. “Small fox under a pile of spruce logs.” | Photo: Allan Ryd
Monarch Photo: Judy Sweet
Buckland, MA. “First sighting of a monarch this season, happily gathering nectar on liatris flowers.” | Photo: Judy Sweet
Ghost plant Photo: Charlie Schwarz
South Williamsport, PA. “Do you believe in ghosts?” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Wasp Photo: Kelly Stettner
Springfield, VT. “Giant ichneumon wasp lays her eggs. This species, Megarhyssa macrurus, parasitizes pigeon horntail wasp larvae. It detects horntail larvae in the trunk of trees, and lays its eggs on the larvae.” | Photo: Kelly Stettner
Deadwood Photo: Dawn Brooks
Chamberlain, ME. “Standing deadwood where northern woodlands meet coast is a good spot for an osprey nest (top left).” | Photo: Dawn Brooks
Wine berries Photo: Ross Lanius
North Haven, CT. “Wine berries are prolific along our paths and woods road. They are a bramble and very weedy. But once you navigate to a pod of them, pick them, and start eating you find they are delicious and go back for more. I freeze them unwashed to enjoy later.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Beaver Photo: Tom Grett
Northern Adirondacks, NY. “A muskrat swims in the early morning sunshine.” | Photo: Tom Grett
Robber fly Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
West Haven, CT. “Robber fly with prey.” | Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Hurricane damage Photo: Sandy Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Never forget the power of nature! Remnants of Hurricane Beryl wreak havoc on Dalton roads.” | Photo: Sandy Dannis
Bird in rain Photo: Cec Snow
Ashburnham, MA. “Saw this little guy sitting in the rain.” | Photo: Cec Snow
Moth Photo: Susan Lichty
Lempster, NH. “Virginia ctenucha moth.” | Photo: Susan Lichty
Pond Photo: Joyce Layne
South Chatham, NH. “Mount Shaw hovering over Province Pond on a peaceful summer day.” | Photo: Joyce Layne
Mating monarchs Photo: Katherine Fiveash
Isle Au Haut, ME. “Monarch butterflies mating.” | Photo: Katherine Fiveash
Golden spindles Photo: Sheri Larsen
Bolton, VT. “Golden spindles, a type of fairy club fungus.” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Blue jay Photo: Charlie Schwarz
South Williamsport, PA. “Blue jays will probably be the principal means of oak forest moving north as the climate changes as they bury acorns far from the parent tree.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Woodchuck Photo: Gwynne Pfeifer
Greenwich, NY. “Young woodchuck climbs mulberry tree for tasty leaves.” | Photo: Gwynne Pfeifer
Nodding pogonia Photo: John H. Anderson
Dummerston, VT. “Nodding pogonia or three birds bloom in profusion.” | Photo: John H. Anderson
Salamander eggs Photo: Susan Lichty
Lempster, NH. “A macro view of what appear to be red-backed salamander eggs.” | Photo: Susan Lichty
Wild bean Photo: John H. Anderson
Dummerston, VT. “Groundnut or wild bean can be seen along river banks.” | Photo: John H. Anderson
Swallowtail Photo: Karen Goulet
Epsom, NH. “Swallowtail intertwined with lily.” | Photo: Karen Goulet
Great blue heron Photo: Amy Quist
Whitingham, VT. “The dagger-like bill of the great blue heron sure is impressive up close.” | Photo: Amy Quist
Thrush eggs Photo: Dawn Brooks
Surry, ME. “Hermit thrush nest alongside trail in Carter Nature Preserve. Woodlands along the Maine coast are graced by these birds’ ethereal song during July.” | Photo: Dawn Brooks
Snakemouth orchid Photo: Nate Rosebrooks
Lubec, ME. “Snakemouth orchid (rose pogonia) along a wet trail.” | Photo: Nate Rosebrooks
Katydid Photo: Richard Philben
Shelburne, MA. “Can you find the camouflaged katydid?” | Photo: Richard Philben
Rudbeckia Photo: Sandy Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) prepares to bloom.” | Photo: Sandy Dannis
Wood lily Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Conway, MA. “A wood lily blossom stands out in the landscape of the Montague Plains. There is a small colony of these plants in the sandy soils of this interesting environment in western Massachusetts.” | Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Partridge Photo: Mary Hartt
Hampden, ME. “Partridge, North Maine Woods, seen near Allagash Lake.” | Photo: Mary Hartt
Snake Photo: Jake Kritzer
Durham, NH. “Tiny garter snake rests atop our hydrangeas.” | Photo: Jake Kritzer
Kingbirds Photo: Sheryl Gebauer
North Clarendon, VT. “Eastern kingbird parent trying to convince fledgling to try flying. The eastern kingbirds have been returning to our tamarack tree by the edge of the pond to raise young for several years.” | Photo: Sheryl Gebauer
Alpine flowers Photo: Karinne Heise
Camel’s Hump, VT. “Small, white alpine flowers – Greenland stitchwort (also called mountain sandplant) – blossoming amidst the moss near the summit of Camel’s Hump.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Thistle Photo: Amy Quist
Heath, MA. “A globe thistle flower attracts a fritillary butterfly.” | Photo: Amy Quist
Orchid Photo: Joyce Layne
South Chatham, NH. “Purple fringed orchid on the path to Province Pond shelter.” | Photo: Joyce Layne
Clearwing moth Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Warrensville, PA. “A snowberry clearwing moth visits a wild bergamot flower.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Bullfrog Photo: Richard Philben
Shelburne, MA. “One of my neighbors, a photogenic bullfrog.” | Photo: Richard Philben
Blue dasher Photo: Kirk Gentalen
St George, ME. “Blue dasher male, hunting.” | Photo: Kirk Gentalen
Fireweed Photo: Sharon Bombard
Adams, MA. “Fireweed blooming on the summit of Mount Greylock.” | Photo: Sharon Bombard
False indigo Photo: Tom Grett
Northern Adirondacks, NY. “False indigo in bloom in front of the northern Adirondack mountains.” | Photo: Tom Grett
Wasp chamber Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Lyman, NH. “Potter wasps’ unique egg camber (seen here attached to Timothy grass). The wasp lays one egg in the chamber, then adds several live but paralyzed insects so that when the egg hatches, the larva can feed on fresh food.” | Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Orono bog Photo: Mary Hartt
Hampden, ME. “Orono bog boardwalk - the 1-mile loop shows a wide range of peat moss vegetation environments.” | Photo: Mary Hartt
Skunk trap Photo: Bill Arnold
South Kent, CT. “Caught a small juvenile skunk in a chipmunk trap. If you walk and speak slowly the skunk will not be alarmed. I gently turned the trap upside down and it departed unharmed.” | Photo: Bill Arnold
Heron Photo: Ross Lanius
Hamden, CT. “One of many great blue herons in this rookery looking out over Lake Whitney.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Giant swallowtail Photo: Jack Nelson
Plainfield, MA. “Giant swallowtail on bee balm.” | Photo: Jack Nelson
Clay layer Photo: Sandy Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Layers of silt and clay (aka ‘varves’) deposited at the bottom of an ancient glacial lake just exposed by the recent torrential rains.” | Photo: Sandy Dannis
Nuthatch Photo: Stephanie Rinehart-Joseph
Windham, NH. “White-breasted nuthatch.” | Photo: Stephanie Rinehart-Joseph
Skunk Photo: Tom Anderson
Dummerston, VT. “Young skunk is starting to explore his world.” | Photo: Tom Anderson
Amanita Photo: Tom Grett
Northern Adirondacks, NY. “An amanita pushes up through the moss.” | Photo: Tom Grett
Ghost pipes Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Conway, MA. “Ghost pipe plants emerging from the forest floor during the hot and humid days of July.” | Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Wren nest Photo: Mary Pratt
Highland NY. “Makeshift wren house our son built when a Carolina wren began nesting in a clothespin bag.” | Photo: Mary Pratt
Tiny frog Photo: Penelope Harris
Cambridge, VT. “Teeny, tiny frog found near many others jumping at the edge of a roadside marsh.” | Photo: Penelope Harris
bee Photo: Penelope Harris
Cambridge, VT. “The demise of a bee to feed the spider.” | Photo: Penelope Harris
Pearly wood nymph Photo: Michael V. Wilson
Otego, NY. “Often mistaken for bird poop, pearly wood-nymph on a grapevine leaf.” | Photo: Michael V. Wilson
Loon Photo: Nancy Kluck
Bridgton, ME. “Resting loon, Highland Lake.” | Photo: Nancy Kluck
Moon Photo: Katherine Fiveash
Isle Au Haut, ME. “Waxing moon, looking south at the east coast of Isle au Haut.” | Photo: Katherine Fiveash

Submit Your Photographs

We are looking for images taken in the past month. We will select approx. 60 images to feature in each gallery. Considerations include: variety of topics, quality of image, resolution (size), and geographic diversity. Special consideration is also given to first-time photographer submissions.

Three photo submissions per person, please. We regret that we cannot publish all submissions!

Please read and agree to the terms and conditions below, which provide Northern Woodlands a perpetual license to use your photographs. If your photo isn’t selected for our gallery but we wish to use it for another purpose, we will contact you.

If you have trouble submitting your images (such as an error message saying your photo is too large) please email your picture and caption to: Nancy (at) northernwoodlands.org with the email subject line: Reader Photo Submission. Important: Please confirm in your email that you agree to our terms and conditions outlined below.

By checking the box above, you are agreeing to our Reader Photo Gallery Terms and Conditions.