While in the woods following one of our recent winter rainstorms, a few yellow stains were spotted around trees. What caused the staining of the snow? Thanks to Mike White for providing this photo and…

Tucked behind a stonewall on the edge of a hardwood forest, my six-year-old students and I spy on an Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) as it climbs out of a tree cavity and scurries down to…

Black-capped chickadees are one of the most frequent visitors to our bird feeders in winter, but do we really know them? This common bird exhibits some remarkable behaviors and winter survival…

The making of a Charlie Brown tree: this white pine was observed among a thicket of shrubs on a wet site. In addition to the shade and wet soil, what other major factor has limited the growth of this…

Back in the old days, there were printed field guides. The more comprehensive the guide, the heavier it was to lug around the woods. People left them at home. When they were out in the woods and…

Your November photos showed people (and Josh the dog) outside, enjoying the late autumn landscape. Ice and water featured prominently, as did the bright red berries of hawthorn, winterberry and…

Walking through the woods on a crisp December day, I spotted a flash of green amongst the rocks, snaking up through the snow. Greenery in a forest full of gray and white is a treat, and so I stooped…

The blast of a gunshot: a deep bass roar she feels in her chest, followed by a treble ringing in her ears. The buck drops. The hunter remains in her crouch, watching the animal’s last breaths…

Nancy’s background in design, library science, and education lends well to her role as advertising ace, information curator, and community outreach champion. She has lived in the Upper Valley…

Found in the woods: This piece of metal is a portion (maybe one-fifth) of a longer object that was a crucial part of an old piece of equipment. What is it?

In winter, raccoons will sometimes take on roommates. Shared space means shared body heat, and avoiding conflict over desirable real estate. Porcupines may also spend time together in winter dens,…

Beechdrops are dainty little plants, and easy to overlook in summer. This time of year, their forms stand out against fresh snow. Their relationship with the American beech is parasitic, they make…

Have you ever found a freshwater mussel in the shallows of a New England lake or pond? They seem so secretive, pressed closed in their dark shells, their soft bodies hidden from view – so often…

Michael R. Canfield’s Theodore Roosevelt in the Field is not so much about Roosevelt’s conservation policies or his presidency as it is about the growth and evolution of Roosevelt’s…

Editor's Note, a Farewell by Dave Mance III; Where Do Forest Birds Go in Winter?; Musings of a Firewood Aficionado by Joe Rankin; A Fish of Legend: New England’s Arctic Char by John…

I was sitting 20 feet high in a thick red oak, the forest floor spread out below me. My lofty perch afforded a view not available to a ground dweller. From the ground, brown brush, thick and tangled,…

“Consider all this; and then turn to the green, gentle, and most docile earth; consider them both, the sea and the land; and do you not find a strange analogy to something in yourself?”…

One of my favorite things about writing for Northern Woodlands is that I get to meet so many folks who are incredibly passionate about forestry and equally “woods smart.” Al Robertson of…

Red squirrels store food in the ground that they can access whenever they need it. When they die, the squirrels typically leave large quantities of uneaten food behind that can be inherited by…

For many years, scientists have wondered what factors influence how tall a tree can grow. Much of the research has focused on how high water can be transported internally from roots to leaves, but a…