We heard from someone who just brought home a balsam fir Christmas tree and noticed a few places where the needles had curled and twisted. The same distortion is seen in this photo from UMass…

We hung a grizzled old deer in camp this year who was in less than ideal condition, meat-wise. He was sort of randy smelling in general – just all rutted up and glandular. That a shot hit him…

In your November photos, a pileated woodpecker dined on grapes, a mink struck a pose, and oh no!, Mr. Bill turned into a cherry tree! This November was much warmer than last year, and wildlife seemed…

The oyster mushroom: delicious, frequently spotted on veggie pizzas, and predatory. That's right. The hyphae of many fungi, including the oyster mushroom, attack and paralyze prey. Then, as R.…

As you read this, please imagine a drum roll, or better yet, the sound of a ruffed grouse whomping the air with its wings. With this issue, the Center for Northern Woodlands Education is launching a…

There was a time in the waters known by the Abenaki peoples as Kwenitegok, “Long River,” when migratory fish moved in such multitudes that their backs appeared as a living bridge from…

Earlier this year I had a chance to try out some electric (battery-powered) chainsaws. My expectations going in were pretty low: I figured that they would either be laughingly toy-like in their…

What bird made this distinctive nest?

You and I have two opaque eyelids, one above the eye and one beneath. When we blink, they meet in the middle. Some birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and mammals have three eyelids – two similar…

Most folks know that stream-flow ponds impounded by dams built of sticks, stones, and mud are created by beavers. Conical or dome-shaped lodges surrounded by water are also recognizable signs of…

We cut about 10,000 feet of white pine last winter off a little nob in the south end of the sugarbush. This summer we’ve been turning the logs into lumber for the home we’re building. By…

Last week, a black bear in a blaze orange collar showed up in our yard. Two cubs followed close behind. The sow paused to observe the house, then led her cubs up across our field and down into a small…

Along with the crisp mornings and crimson colors that signal summer’s slide into fall, there are changes occurring in the forests that go mostly unnoticed.  Among them is the dispersal of…

A flashback to when we had leaves. What is climbing this tree?

Many of your October photos captured quiet scenes: vivid fall color, early snows and sunset views. Meanwhile, the animal world seemed to enjoy the last few days of warmth, and prepared for the lean…

Consider the givens in life, those moments of predictability that stand out in a constantly changing world. The sun rises in the east, for instance. The sky is blue. Or how about this one: while in…

For portions of two days, I watched a red squirrel clipping and caching cones from the crown of a towering white spruce. It was a bumper crop that season, and thousands of cones hung in bunches…

When you stumble across something purple in the forest, it’s hard not to stop in your tracks. At least it was for me on a recent hike in Thetford, when I came across three purple mushrooms. They…

As an avid birdwatcher for more than 30 years, I’ve long been familiar with the big picture of songbird migration. Tiny blackpoll warblers, for instance, fly 1,500 miles from southern New…

Rich Root sent us this shot of a mystery insect he spotted on a spruce in a woodlot in Weston, Vermont, in late October. “It was dead when I found it,” he said.