The shock of crimson from a red maple growing at the edge of a wetland, the spying of a kettle of broadwings flying south, the evocative sound of a katydid suggesting that a return to school is…
Want to see an EAB trap up close?
If you’ve done any traveling around New York or New England this summer, you’ve probably come across one of the purple emerald ash borer traps that are hanging from ash trees along…
Floral Forest Mystery
Some trees continue to "flower" throughout the summer – like this one. What kind of tree produced this "flower?"
Seasonally Affected Dating Disorder
It appears that Sadie Hawkins Day has made its way into the butterfly world. Or, more likely, the sex role reversal when women ask men out for a date got its start with insects and only recently…
Trees: Now With Thirty Percent More Absorption!
While it has long been known that plants absorb carbon dioxide for use in photosynthesis, a new study has found that plants play a larger role than previously thought in absorbing certain types of air…
Evolution in Small Spaces
When Mark Urban noticed that some vernal pools contained an abundance of certain salamanders but the same species was scarce or absent in other nearby pools, he wondered why. What the University of…
Where the Rattlesnakes Meets the Road
No one has been bitten by a rattlesnake in Vermont in over 50 years. But that streak ended last year when a man in Fair Haven was struck between the thumb and index finger by a snake as he was…
Too Many Mesopredators?
While controversy rages over the reinstated killing of wolves in western states, these predators may be making a quiet comeback in the northeast, slipping across the border from Canada. And the notion…
Penny For Your Thoughts?
Reader Dick Pearson submitted this picture of two tiny fleur de lis’. What are they? And where did they come from?
Can You Smell That Smell?
If your dog roles in poo or roadkill it doesn’t mean that he’s an idiot. Quite the opposite, actually. It means he’s a team player and a good storyteller. In ancient times, when…
The Peewee – Deer Connection
It’s the middle of August, and the heat and humidity have chased me to the relative coolness of Centennial Woods, a 147-acre patch of forest owned by the University of Vermont. There’s not…
Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America
If you’re going to get a casual reader interested in a 442-page history of anything, you’d better have an engaging subject matter. Fortunately for Eric Jay Dolin, the fur trade is…
Ancestral Plants: A Primitive Skills Guide
By the time you read this, the annual banquet of fiddleheads may have passed, but a cornucopia of other wild foods, medicines, and materials are available to anyone who cares to discover them. Arthur…
Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson
Roger Tory Peterson, a man in need of a big biography, finally has one. At 422 pages, Elizabeth Rosenthal delivers a thorough and masterful account of the man known to friends as the “King…
Teach a Kid to Fish
Few activities in this world are better for the soul than taking a child fishing. Most anglers recall fondly the early days of their youth when that person, be it a parent, grandparent, or family…
A Summer Celebration!
Northern Woodlands held its annual board meeting on July 20th. The day’s events included a tour of the Mount Tom Forest at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, a discussion about…
Who Lost A Head?
This skull was found in southern Vermont in a small patch of woods at the edge of a farm field. What kind of animal is it?
Summer Reading
Many print-media outlets publish summer book recommendations, and for good reason. Part of the joy of reading is sharing what you’ve read. There’s also a practical component: since blindly…
The Path of Least Resistance
To be wet on a hot summer day is a glorious thing. On a steamy weekend, you don’t have to go far to find long lines of cars beside the road and people soaking in the river below. One of the…
Mowing Late - An Idea for the Birds
To birders and meadow-walkers alike, the bubbling, exuberant song of the bobolink is one of summer’s highlights. Singing as it swoops over grasses, this black bird with a yellow cap, white wing…