As we all know, many mammals have a bone in their penis, called a “baculum.” From an evolutionary perspective, this can make copulation more effective (note the strategically curved tip…

“I kind of thought it was a tornado,” the woman said, her disappointment apparent, “but they said it was straight-line winds or something.” This was from a newspaper article…

The more researchers learn about barberry, the more they find to dislike about it. The thorny perennial shrub escaped from cultivated landscapes after being introduced to the U.S. in the 1880s, and…

A renewed interest has emerged in recent years in whole-tree harvesting, a practice that has been scorned by many as dangerous to the health of the forest ecosystem because it depletes the soil of…

Health-conscious humans have long known that brightly colored vegetables are healthier than blandly colored ones; turns out, songbirds also pay attention to color when it comes to their food. To fuel…

The edges between field and forest are obvious places to search for wildlife, but the transition within a forest – between softwood and hardwood stands – can be equally alive. This time of…

September can feel like summer, but we also see glimmers of autumn – a change in the light, goldenrods and asters blooming, mushrooms of various species emerging and proliferating in fields and…

The open road – the notion of high adventure just over the county line – holds a special place in the American imagination. Media types are especially drawn to the idea, as we’re…

No trip to the Tunbridge World's Fair in Tunbridge, Vermont, is complete without a trip to the beer hall, the pig races, and the historical exhibitions, where this picture was taken. This…

A female mosquito buzzes in the waning light of a late-summer evening. A week ago, she bit a robin at a bird bath, drawing a proboscis full of blood to help create her eggs. The bird’s blood was…

The ethical debates between vegetarians and meat-eaters aren’t likely to be resolved anytime soon. But there’s a new twist to the vegetarian argument that bears examination: the suggestion…

My friend Kris and I met in Mrs. Kevorkian’s kindergarten class, which means I’ve been a bad influence on him for almost thirty years now. When I suffer from panic attacks brought on by…

Reader Eli Sagor from St. Paul, Minnesota submitted this picture -- the objects have both a Midwestern and Northeastern woods connection. What are they and what are they used for?

The ancient Celts spoke of “thin places” in nature – places where the veil between heaven and earth is worn thin. To those with Thomas Cole taste, “thin” could be…

After reading this book, you might find yourself having a panic attack the next time you press a spade into topsoil. There are myriad creatures– many are bizarre and many are beautiful –…

To assimilate the full value of many books, a reader must start at page one and continue to the end. Other books, however, may be consumed, like a rich dessert, a portion at a time. Such is the case…

On September 6, 1901, the day President William McKinley was mortally wounded in a Buffalo, New York, train station, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was in Vermont. He was there to study the…

If you haven’t already received your autumn issue of Northern Woodlands you should get it any day now. When friends ask me how I think the issue turned out, I tell them that I don’t know…

Our Executive Director found this critter on an apple tree near his home in northern Vermont on July 25. What is it?

Deep in our deepest nature is the environment we knew as a child, so that when we meet it later in life, we know we are home. Such is my feeling for the part of rural Vermont where I live. Which is…