With a degree in biology from Colgate University, Kelly French embarked on a career in clinical diagnostics and experimental medicinal research. After four years of working in a lab and daydreaming…

Ants play a vital role in the health of forested ecosystems as seed dispersers, decomposers of wood and leaves, aerators of soil via their nesting and tunneling, recyclers of nutrients, and more. As…

The drought that most of New England experienced last summer and fall is likely to slow the growth of white pines and red oaks this year. That’s the prediction from a University of New Hampshire…

Dragonfly larvae have long been considered an indicator of good water quality because many species require clear, clean water to thrive. Finding any of those species in a water body suggests that the…

In his most recent outing, author William Bryant Logan travels far afield to rediscover the lost tradition of coppice culture – a neglected land management system that fueled human life for…

Anyone who has turned to nature as a balm to an emotional wound – or to seek inspiration for how to live – will likely find relatable content in Michael Tougias’ memoir, The Waters…

We tend to think of American conservation writing as beginning with Henry David Thoreau in the 1850s or with John Muir a generation or so later, so I was surprised to discover that Noah Webster…

Decayed wood crumbled underfoot as I stepped on a mossy log. The ground was almost hidden by a lush, diverse growth of wildflowers and ferns. Brown scapes of wild leeks poked up above mottled leaflets…

This Week in the Woods, assistant editor Meghan McCarthy McPhaul found two porcupines perched in an apple tree, chowing down on the developing fruit. According to Uldis Roze, in his excellent book,…

The very first meal a monarch butterfly caterpillar eats is its own eggshell. In order to hatch, the caterpillar eats its way out of the egg, and then polishes off the remainder of the eggshell. It…

This special series from Northern Woodlands magazine explores the various connections between forests and water, with a focus on community-based efforts that support watershed health and resilience to…

By the time the hottest days of summer come around, the wild greens of spring have grown too tough to enjoy. When this time comes, I head to my mother’s garden to help her weed – not just…

Deepen Your Connection with the Natural World All Around You Originally published in 2000 with endorsements from E.O. Wilson and Jane Goodall, Clare Walker Leslie’s Keeping a Nature Journal was…

Last summer while working in the garden, I was startled when a fast-flying wasp dropped a plump pumpkin spider on the soil in front of me. The wasp landed, grabbed the spider, and wiggled backwards…

This Week in the Woods, we discovered a daredevil green frog in a patch of clover a good half mile from any pond or stream. Our guess it that it was hunting, and all the humidity and rain allowed it…

Reader Tammis Coffin sent in this mystery macro photo of something she spotted on a rainy day in the woods of Mariaville, Maine, early this month. What is this?

Steve Hagenbuch began working with Audubon Vermont soon after moving to Vermont in 1998, and he’s remained with the organization for 23 years and counting. A conservation biologist and forester,…

To quote the French dramatist Jean Giradoux, “The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life.” Flowering plants fill our summer fields and…

This Week in the Woods, after several days of warmth and wet weather, fungi are popping up everywhere, including American Caesar’s Mushroom. Unlike most Amanita species, American Caesar…

Occasionally I get an email from a camp, school, or even my local Rotary asking if I can present an insect program. So it was not unusual last week for me to be handing insect nets to excited Cub…