Worldwide, biodiversity is in crisis. Species are disappearing at an estimated 100 to 1,000 times the historical rate, driven primarily by habitat destruction and climate change. According to…
Magazine Series
Bombardier Beetles are Explosive Defenders
During a trip with Saint Michael’s College students to Bunratty Castle in Ireland, our guide explained that medieval castle defenders poured scalding liquids on invaders through a…
Spongy Moth Outbreaks: Potential New Ecological Impacts of an Old Pest
In early June 2023, I was driving down the Taconic Parkway through New York’s Hudson Valley when I noticed an abrupt change to the roadside scenery. The lush forest canopy that had been…
Connecticut Lakes Headwaters: Carbon vs. Cutting
Named for the string of lakes where the Connecticut River begins its 400-mile flow from northern New Hampshire, the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters region has long been prized for its thick…
Seeds with Wings
A red maple tree in the backyard stretched well above the two-story house where I grew up. It was not an easy tree to climb, but it was the best one. I would jump up to grab the lowest branch…
The Buzz in the Woods: Supporting Northeastern Forests for Native Bees
Many of us associate bees with gardens or fields of wildflowers and are familiar with the common eastern and golden northern bumble bees we see there. However, forests also provide critical…
A Century of Wildflower Data Reveals Phenological Shifts
One floor above the taxidermied polar bears and crocodiles, in an annex adjacent to the eclectic collection of geological wonders and historical artifacts from faraway places, the Fairbanks…
Ephemeral
At 10, I believed all rivers flowed south, pulled by gravity, down the face of a map. These many years later, such a notion seems naïve. Yet that idea – built upon a certain…
As Maple Trunks Thaw
I was pushed out of my mother’s body one April, cold and wet, in the fifth season of the year. A measure of frost and mud. It was past the last sap boil, more amber than gold. I was a…
Behind the Pages
Dozens of people contribute to creating each issue of Northern Woodlands. Here are a few of the people whose work is featured in the Spring magazine. {image2} Bryan Pfeiffer (cover photograph)…