Life from Treetops to Root Tips You can tell a lot about a tree from the company it keeps. James Nardi guides you through the innermost unseen world that trees share with a wondrous array of…

This ornament is an homage to the subtle beauty of this exquisite songbird. Their distinctly large black eyes and unique blue-gray plumage gives these birds a beauty that delights both casual and…

A wonderful ornament for an avid duck hunter or outdoor enthusiast; makes a lovely accent to your home decor year-round, not just during the holidays. Handmade by Danforth Pewter in Middlebury,…

Northern Appalachia is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth and home to a broad range of ecological and human cultures. With A Literary Field Guide to Northern Appalachia, editors Todd Davis…

A favorite sight in the garden, in the woods, or at the birdfeeder, the chickadee is a year-round visitor in much of North America, because they don't migrate. They are known for more than just…

This week in the woods, a white pine snag with much of its bole rotted away displayed some of its branch rings in three dimensions. In lumber, we would see these conical features in cross section, as…

In cartoons, when a turtle is spooked, it retreats into and closes up its shell. While used for comic effect, this imagery is based in fact – although not all turtles are capable of this…

Join us for an afternoon workshop with Clare Walker Leslie, nationally known artist, naturalist, educator, and author of 15 books on connecting people of all ages to the nature around them, using both…

White-barked birches never fail to captivate our attention. We are acquainted with innumerable images of a blindingly white birch among some stark winter scene or a stand of snow-white trunks aglow…

Mary Holland is a Vermont-based author, naturalist, and photographer. She has written numerous books for children and adults, including the perennially popular Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field…

September’s photos included great close-ups of insects, snakes, and a few plant species less frequently observed. Judy Sweet discovered spikenard berries in Ashfield, Massachusetts, Elise…

We discovered this green orb partially wrapped in what looks like a dried leaf in recently disturbed soil near a field in Thetford, Vermont. What is this?

This week in the woods, river otter families may be moving to new areas to hunt. Every year at this time, we find at least one family of otters (mother and this year’s young) in the same shallow…

Tis the season for spooky stories, and just in time for Halloween, the spider that news headlines have described as “giant,” “flying,” and “venomous” has made its…

This week in the woods, we stumbled upon several yellow birch logs completely engulfed in the fruiting bodies of turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) a polypore fungus that commonly grows on the…

Wandering through the woods this time of year, occasionally I’ve come across a small deciduous tree laden with cone-like structures that resemble the hops used to brew beer. This is the American…

Between our Autumn Open House and Upper Valley Thrives, it has been an eventful couple of weeks for our new pollinator garden. We had a wonderful time toasting our 30th anniversary with friends at our…

Joy Grannis grew up playing in the woods around her family’s Downeast Maine homestead. Although she has always loved art and creating, it wasn’t until middle school that Joy realized art…

We found this seedling in the understory of a Vermont northern hardwood forest, sprouting what look like palm leaves, as well as the dark leaf in the center. What’s going on here?