The doodlebug waits. It is patient. It is silent. And it is hidden under a fine layer of dry, loose, sandy soil at the bottom of a small conical pit. Soon, a wandering ant will slip down the side of…

We’ve found many examples of this funky fungal form along trails this past week, ranging from pale orange to brick red in color, all having the basic mushroom cap and stem shape, but none having…

Erica Holm grew up in what she describes as a typical suburban neighborhood in southern New Hampshire. Although she wasn’t a particularly outdoorsy kid, she pursued a degree in natural…

As a friend recently commented about living in the Upper Valley, where the Northern Woodlands office is located, “I am still a little amazed at how calm people are with all of the wildlife…

For most of the year, it’s hard to find a pond without at least a few mallards swimming around. These ducks, with their green-headed drakes and streaky brown hens, are among the most common…

Many years ago, I visited a small stand of virgin white pine older than the Declaration of Independence in Bradford, New Hampshire, not far from the Warner River: 20 or so trees much more than 100…

Susan Hand Shetterly arrived in Prospect Harbor, Maine, as a young woman, a self-described “back-to-the-lander who’d never learned from the land, but was about to.” Along with her…

This week in the woods, we were tempted to devote the whole blog to mushroom photos, because the Summer 2023 fungi display continues to be epic. Case in point is this exuberant colony of Xeromphalina…

At first, I suspected it was the deer that had almost completely defoliated the northern spicebush sapling I had planted just weeks earlier. Only days prior, it had been brimming with new growth, and…

How Gifford Pinchot, Frederick Law Olmsted, and a Band of Foresters Rescued America’s Public Lands In This Land Was Saved for You and Me: How Gifford Pinchot, Frederick Law Olmsted, and a Band…

What we in the Northeast sometimes call a “Town Forest” is known elsewhere as a “Community Forest.” Although common and cherished by local residents, these publicly accessible,…

From nature notes to firewood stacking tips, there’s always more to learn about the woods. Sign up for Northern Woodlands News, our free, bi-weekly offering of seasonal nature images and info,…

We spotted this moth on a tree in Concord, New Hampshire. What species is it? What is it doing? And what’s with the dead caterpillars nearby?

Mike Parisio has always been fascinated by the natural world. After earning a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, he pursued a master’s degree – and, eventually, a career…

Named for their polka-dot-like markings, spotted turtles have declined throughout most of their range, which stretches from Maine south along the Atlantic coastal plain to northern Florida, and from…

This week, deep in the shady woods, we discovered a filmy dome web – a less common (or at least, much harder to find) variation on the bowl and doily sheet webs that one often encounters in…

Spittlebugs are the color of a new spring leaf, their bodies both tiny and so fat that you hardly notice their six miniature legs underneath. This plumpness makes them an appetizing snack for various…

This week in the woods, in between storms, we’ve been walking along foggy trails, and wondering … were red-eyed vireos always this loud? Although wet air supposedly dampens sound,…

Your June photos show an abundance of pink and showy lady’s slippers, butterflies and moths, and bird nests. In Randolph, New Hampshire, Jon Gilson discovered a young fawn, and in Chilmark,…

On a walk in the rain, we found this silk-wrapped package of Christmas fern frond leaflets. What created this fern ball? And what benefit does it provide?