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August: Week Two

This week in the woods, we observed an American robin chick making its first wobbly flight from the nest, which started off well but ended with a crash landing on the lawn. (The young bird was fine,…

The Saga of the Sunapee Trout (a.k.a. Arctic Charr)

If you wanted to see the Sunapee trout, you might be inclined to search in its namesake, New Hampshire’s Lake Sunapee. But this elusive fish has long been extirpated from the Granite State, and…

August: Week One

This Week in the Woods, as we move into late summer, there’s a lot less singing in the woods but we’re still hearing hermit thrushes, red-eyed vireos, and winter wrens. We’re also…

Pileated Woodpecker Sticker $6.95

Show your love for forests and wildlife with this striking sticker, illustrated by Liz Wahid. Featuring the unmistakable pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) with its bold red crest and powerful…

July: Week Five

This week in the woods, we’ve been seeing a lot of Monotropa in bloom – both ghost pipe and pinesap, shown here in the company of a bumble bee. Neither of these plants photosynthesize and…

White Admirals Winging Through the Woods

Walking on a woods road beside a stream in early July, I spotted several tight clusters of butterflies perched on scat piles and on wet sand near the brook. When one of the butterflies spread its…

A Garden of Circles on the Common

After slight hiccups from high heat and a broken-down truck, we’re making swift progress in our native plant pollinator garden construction. We’ve removed the topsoil, installed paths, and…

In the Trees with Matthew Nola

Matthew Nola’s first exposure to the outdoors was on the beaches of Long Island, New York, where he spent his earliest years. When his family moved to Starksboro, Vermont, however, he fell in…

Pond-side Dazzler

We found this glimmering beastie perched on a (non-native) lupine seed pod near a pond in Orford, New Hampshire. What is it?

The Many Virtues of Mountain-Mint

Behind my garden of native plants, one scrappy perennial holds its own among the tangle of goldenrod stalks and blackberry brambles. Its swaying flowerheads buzz with a throng of insects: golden…

July: Week Four

This week in the woods, we’ve been seeing northern pearly-eyes fluttering up from the ferns along long woods trails. These forest butterflies – beautifully marked with black spots and…

July: Week Three

This Week in the Woods, the American redstart chicks we featured last week have all successfully fledged. Here’s the last fledgling to go, a few minutes before the young bird hopped out of the…

A New Discovery About Ancient Land Plants

A long time ago, not so far away, freshwater plants partnered with fungi and moved onto land from lake and river shores. Since that time, land plants have evolved many sophisticated strategies for…

June 2024

Your June photos included an abundance of interesting invertebrates, birds, and plants. This month’s shiny beetle award has two winners: in Monroe, New Hampshire, Audrey DiMatties discovered a…

Discovering – and Using – Locally Sourced Wood with Sean Mahoney

As the markets and utilization forester for Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Sean Mahoney’s professional duties range from supporting community wood banks to helping…

Northern Woodlands Welcomes New Executive Director

Lyme, NH – The Center for Northern Woodlands Education (CNWE) has named Jackson Saul as Executive Director of the environmental nonprofit. CNWE is best known as the publisher of Northern…

Jack Saul

Executive Director

Jackson Saul, who goes by Jack, is a graduate of Williams College and holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Alabama. He grew up working on his family’s tree…

Insect Intrigue

Reader Ken Hatch found this small, green, spiky thing on a leaf near the White River in central Vermont. What is it?

July: Week Two

This week in the woods, we didn’t have to venture far for a great nature photography opportunity. We found an American redstart nest in a stand of yard lilacs and set up a remote (no flash or…

Waterthrushes: Winged Kings of the Bog and Stream

If you’re looking for warblers on a walk in the summer woods, your first instinct might be to look toward the canopy. But two closely related warbler species forgo those elevated environs for…