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November 2021

Your November photos depicted the subdued colors and quiet scenes of the Northeast’s “stick season,” as well as occasional bright highlights such as lemon drop fungi and winterberry. Two of you were lucky enough to find otters; Dave Thompson spied one (or was it spying on him?) swimming by a fallen tree, and Paula Schlax captured a delightful image of two of the animals hanging out with their heron companion. Geoffrey Bluh explored an old tree plantation, Leif Tillotson captured some beautiful sunset scenes, and on a frosty morning, a forester crossed a wetland, heading off for a day’s work in the woods.

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Heron with otters Photo: Paula Jean Schlax
Portland, ME. “Otters and heron in early light.” | Photo: Paula Jean Schlax
Haircap moss Photo: AM Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Fireworks on the forest floor (haircap moss).” | Photo: AM Dannis
Wood spoons Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Plymouth, NH. “Five cherry wood spoons were finished just before the holiday. These are not for the woodstove.” | Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Hollow tree Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Shelburne, MA. “Checking out planted cedar trees from an old tree plantation long abandoned and overgrown. These are on the Mahican-Mohawk trail. Also found in this forest are planted spruce, tamarack , red and white pines.” | Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Cedar waxwing Photo: Jack Nelson
Plainfield, MA. “She stoops to eat a winterberry fruit. Cedar wax wings' visit.” | Photo: Jack Nelson
Squirrel Photo: Carol Leonard
Ellsworth, ME. “Cheeky gray squirrel looking very put out.” | Photo: Carol Leonard
Forest sunset Photo: Anonymous
Thetford, VT. “An end of November sight: sunlight through snowy woods.” | Photo: Anonymous
Beech Photo: Debra Clough
Hebron, NH. “Beech tones.” | Photo: Debra Clough
Mushrooms Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Franconia, NH. Lemon drop fungi. | Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Craig stream Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Craig Fork of Lick Run, Clinton County, PA. “Lick Run is an exceptional value stream and classified as a wilderness trout stream.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Milkweed seeds Photo: AM Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Milkweed (Asclepias) seeds still waiting to fly in mid-November.” | Photo: AM Dannis
Autumn sunset Photo: Leif Tillotson
First of two photos. Swanton, VT. “Autumn sunset.” | Photo: Leif Tillotson
Sunset Photo: Leif Tillotson
Second of two photos. Swanton, VT. “Autumn sunset.” | Photo: Leif Tillotson
Wasp nest Photo: Harold F. Mallette
Solon, ME. “Paper wasp nest in driveway. Last year's was in a yellow maple next to the house. Will they return in 2022?” | Photo: Harold F. Mallette
Caribou mountain Photo: Tony Marple
Evans Notch, ME. “View from Caribou Mountain.” | Photo: Tony Marple
Fungal pine Photo: Bonna Wieler
Warrensburg, NY. Fungal patterns on pine. | Photo: Bonna Wieler
Newt Photo: Karinne Heise
Warner, NH. “Adult eastern newt swimming in the shallows.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Falling tree Photo: Sheri Larsen
Bolton, VT. “Falling tree caught up in another. Fall is the time when my husband and I get out to do trail work on existing backcountry ski trails. We often encounter downed trees that need to be sawed and removed from the trail. Fortunately, this tree got caught up.” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Forester in the woods Photo: Hale Morrell
Stafford, NH. “A consulting forester sets forth across a wetland for a day of inventory work in the woods.” | Photo: Hale Morrell
Bald eagle Photo: Tod Dimmick
Grantham, NH. “Eagle over Eastman Pond.” | Photo: Tod Dimmick
Polypore Photo: Tracy Sherbrook
Lyndonville, VT. “Polypore parade.” | Photo: Tracy Sherbrook
Clover Photo: Deborah DeSalvo
Oldwick, NJ. “Red clover covered in frost.” | Photo: Deborah DeSalvo
Forest floor Photo: Debra Clough
Hebron, NH. “Lovely decor in the woods.” | Photo: Debra Clough
Autumn forest Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Loyalsockville, PA. “Peaceful scene along Loyalsock Creek, a major tributary of the Susquehanna River.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Moose Photo: AM Dannis
Dalton, NH. “"If I stand here long enough will my antlers grow?" A young bull moose wonders as he peers out from snow-dusted brush.” | Photo: AM Dannis
Mushrooms Photo: Bonna Wieler
Warrensburg, NY. “Ladder up?!” | Photo: Bonna Wieler
Rumford Mountain Photo: Tony Marple
Rumford, ME. “Rumford Whitecap with wild blueberries.” | Photo: Tony Marple
Mergansers Photo: Karinne Heise
Warner, NH. “Hooded mergansers at sunset.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Eastern coyote Photo: Charlie Schwarz
South Williamsport, PA. “An eastern coyote on Bald Eagle Mountain captured by a home-brewed camera trap built around a Sony S600 camera.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Red Pine Photo: Andrew Sheere
Jamaica, VT. “A cut-to-length thinning operation in a small red pine plantation.” | Photo: Andrew Sheere
Rattlesnake plantain Photo: Ross Lanius
Sterling Forest State Park, NY. “Rattlesnake plantain. A new trail in Sterling Forest State Park had to be rerouted to avoid a cluster of rattlesnake plantains when discovered by an environmental officer checking the trail location.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Chaga Photo: AM Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Large chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) on hop hornbeam. Men’s XL work glove for scale.” | Photo: AM Dannis
Bluebird Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Holderness, NH. “Eastern bluebird feeding on staghorn sumac berries just before Thanksgiving.” | Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Rhodenren Photo: Ross Lanius
North Haven, CT. “Nature's thermometer. Tightly curled leaves indicate freezing temperatures and slippery surfaces.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Bitter oyster mushrooms Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Lincoln, NH. “Bitter oyster mushrooms. This is one of several bioluminescent fungal species found in the Northeast.” | Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Deer Photo: Charlie Schwarz
South Williamsport, PA. “Lest anyone wonder how chronic wasting disease is spread among deer, grooming is a common activity.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Gastropod Photo: Tracy Sherbrook
Lyndonville, VT. “Gastropod gem.” | Photo: Tracy Sherbrook
Fungi Photo: Bonna Wieler
Athol, NY. Fungi with floral aspirations? | Photo: Bonna Wieler
Sunset Photo: Karinne Heise
Warner, NH. “A beaver pond's sunset reflections.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Hemlock Photo: Ross Lanius
Sterling Forest State Park, NY. “Hemlock. Woolly adelgid on the hemlock needles, no, sleet. Checked the needles and found no evidence of the HWA. Nature is controlling the insect.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Otter Photo: Dave Thompson
First of two. Portland, ME. “Otter.” | Photo: Dave Thompson
Otter Photo: Dave Thompson
Second of two. The same otter, peering out through the stems of fallen tree. | Photo: Dave Thompson
Red oak Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Holderness, NH. “Trapped!! Red oak leaf beneath the first ice on the pond.” | Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Tamarack Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Shelburne, MA. “Tall tamarack trees reach to the sky in the woods where there was a former plantation of different conifer species. They can be found on the Mahican -Mohawk trail in Wilcox Hollow.” | Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Gray squirrel Photo: Charlie Schwarz
South Williamsport, PA. “The gray squirrel is a loveable pest.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Coffin Pond Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Sugar Hill, NH. “Season’s end at Coffin Pond.” | Photo: Frank Kaczmarek
Mock Oyster Photo: AM Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Mock oyster mushrooms (Phyllotopsis nidulans) on maple blowdown.” | Photo: AM Dannis
Beech tree Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Shelburne, MA. “Beech and oaks overlook the Deerfield River through Wilcox Hollow, here the Mahican -Mohawk trail hugs a steep ravine, prone to landslides.” | Photo: Geoffrey Bluh
Bittersweet Photo: Ross Lanius
North Haven, CT. “Oriental bittersweet is a fast growing nasty invasive vine that will wrap itself around a tree and create twisted scar as seen in this picture of a scarred sapling.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Foggy bog Photo: Eric D'Aleo
Rumney, NH. “The bog in the fog.” | Photo: Eric D'Aleo

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.

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When reviewing submissions, we look for:

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  • Geographic diversity across the region

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