Julie Davenport is a district forester with the Maine Forest Service. In this role, she serves about 80 towns and provides educational resources and technical assistance to landowners, loggers,…

October lit up the landscape with a last, brilliant burst of color, while wildlife adjusted to shorter days and cooler temperatures. A diving beetle was still on the move, captured by Christine Young…

A few nights ago, I heard a crash on the front porch and flicked on the light to reveal a black bear’s reflective eyes. It lorded over the contents spilling out of our overturned floor freezer.…

This week in the woods, as temperatures drop and the first snows mix with cold rain, we think of what the winter may have in store for our forests. As Jen Weimer describes in an Outside Story article…

Last week, during a walk in the woods, I turned towards soft sounds in the understory and saw a small porcupine waddling through fallen oak and maple leaves. Porcupines have terrible eyesight and…

These light, papery fruits – technically capsules, not pods – were found in rich woods in Milton, Vermont. What species do these belong to?

This week in the woods marks the height of the deer rut. This alder sapling in Lyme, New Hampshire, shows sign of a deer rub, when a buck used the raised, bead-like structures (pearlations) at…

Maria Pinto is an author, naturalist, and mycophile living outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She writes fiction and nonfiction, and this autumn published her book Fearless, Sleepless, Deathless: What…

At this point in the season, most migrating songbirds and raptors have already left. But on lakes and ponds across New England, some loons are still fishing and paddling. Loon parents may set off for…

Most people know that the bottom of a northern lake or large pond is a mucky, muddy mess of weeds, decayed leaves, some rocks, and a few crayfish to avoid stepping on while wading. This area is known…

This week in the woods, a pine warbler in its weathered fall plumage gleaned insects from a white pine snag. Like the yellow-rumped warbler discussed last week, it may overwinter in New England; while…

What a summer it was for the pollinator garden in its second year! Growth was vigorous, and blooms were abundant – drawing a constant hum of life from bees, butterflies, birds, and countless…

These cobbles were found along the bank of a river. What makes the edges of these rocks smooth and rounded?

Theo Ostman-Sofocli and Yonatan Axelrad are seventh graders living outside Hartford, Connecticut. They are enthusiastic naturalists and volunteer at Roaring Brook Nature Center, where they feed the…

On a recent walk in the Maine woods, I heard a red-breasted nuthatch calling softly to itself. It was 6 feet above me in a large white pine, climbing down the tree headfirst. Looking through my…

Join us for a special afternoon of music with composer and pianist Ben Cosgrove, returning to the Lyme Congregational Church for an unforgettable performance. Known for his evocative,…

This week in the woods, this dark fishing spider fell out of a wood pile and onto a piece of target-practice paper. Our area’s other fishing spider species appear near permanent bodies of water,…

Spread spreads on all the breads with this charming little spreader. Measures 7 inches. Made from solid cherry wood. Band-saw cut, finely sanded, and finished with food grade mineral oil. Handcrafted…

This sweet little spoon, with softly blackened edges, is just the right size for small hands. Perfect for tasting new flavors and making mealtime a delight. Measures 5 inches. Made from solid cherry…