Site Discussions

Fun, informative article! As a wildlife rehabilitator with more than 10 years working closely with opossums and having read extensively about them, I would like to correct a common myth that opossums hang by their tails. They do use them for balance and gripping, but the tails are not strong enough to support the opossum’s full weight.
I enjoy Northern Woodlands very much. Thanks!

This morning, 26 April 2020 I heard a lot of blue jay screaming.  I had been curious lately about how I had about 10 of them hanging out together in my yard.  This article explained.  Thanks.  This morning a hawk had just caught a rabbit and was finishing off the poor creature.  The blue jays were near by sheltering in a forsythia bush mobbing the hawk in the middle of its business.  Sad for the rabbit.  But all this gave me a better appreciation for blue jays.

Thank you for this very interesting information on mourning doves! I have a pair nesting in a tree next to my house and I keep a close eye on them and pray for them often! You’ve taught me a lot about what I’ve seen and what to expect! Thank you so much!

Thank you for your postings, Elise!

Here in the hills of South Vershire we’re enjoying the return visits of numerous “migrant” bird species.

I’m guilty of still feeding the birds, chipmunks, and squirrels, because I enjoy their presence and am willing to sacrifice seed and suet feeders if a bear pays a visit. (I live in and with Nature…)

And though we had about 2-inches of snow on Tuesday into Wednesday morning, the perennials - in our gardens and throughout our woodland - are still pushing their way toward the sun.

Eggs have begun appearing in our vernal pools, but we haven’t yet seen a greening of the woodland trees, which are visible when backlit by the early morning sun.

Your story about the turkeys was wonderful. We have approx. 25 and they roost in the trees in front of our house. As the spring progresses and the Toms are demonstrating, we have noticed that fewer and fewer are roosting in the trees, in fact today only 5 roosted in the trees, the rest we assume are sitting on nests, and I had wondered how the female feeds herself and if the male helps etc. You answered some of these questions and we thank you. One thing we noticed last year is that the young birds at a certain age are taken care of as a group with various females as nannies I suppose. We have a large group of pine trees that give good protection from the hawks, and that is where we see the young at that age.

The subtle coloring of the woods is one the early glories of Spring in New England - worth the allergies!

Given the blunt front of a barrel, would it make sense to have the choker chain exit from the bottom of the log and through a hole at the bottom of the barrel end?
Would this not put a little extra upwards force helping it skid over roots and other obstacles a little more easily?

This is a reply to Debra Kearney’s comment : “I found a pale yellow large caterpillar with a dark brown head in my yard. Waxy looking….what is he????”

That worm you are describing is most likely the Indianmeal moth larvae.

As with most Americans I spent my work life indoors at a desk, but when our children were young, we enjoyed wilderness canoe camping in Minnesota and Canada. Tracking was one of the many nature experiences we did not find time for. After reading this article, Im sorry I missed out on this experience. Keep up the good work!

Great photo portrait!  In winter we sometimes see a grouse way up in the treetops. I thought it was eating black cherry buds, but just discovered there is a poplar there too.  It’s always a surprise to see such a plump bird so far from the ground.

How wonderful to read this article. I happened to be hiking the Appalachian Trail back in 2013 and I had the pleasure of catching a live performance on top of Greylock! It was awesome. Pat not only played, but appeared to be leader of the pack! It was amazing.

A richness is found in a life fully embraced and lived. Thanks for being such testimony. May we all strive to be so fortunate!

I grew up near Albany, NY, not all that far from Halfmoon, and always assumed the town was named for Henry Hudson’s ship of the same name.  Hmmmm….

We have toads in our yard and landscape. We also have an almost 5 year old who asked where the toads are. It is April now so we will keep an eye out for the toads. Your article was informative. Thank you! I also followed the link to vagabond way. When our girl grows up a bit more we may try some of the travel ideas. Thanks again!

The fox in my back yard had it only on his tail and nowhere else and is recovering

Echoing Declan - the first time I read his work was in VES, and that prompted me to reach out to him for an essay on “Flat Stanley and the Centipede” drawing on the original VES essay. So, we’re fans here at Northern Woodlands. See below.

https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/flat-stanley-centipede

Thank you Laurie for your kind comments and for all the work you do for VES.  The first natural history article I wrote was for VES and it got me started on what has become a new chapter of my professional life.  I loved the issue on Ross Bell and of course Joyce Bell.  It was beautifully put together and such a celebration of all things Bell!  Nice work.

Shondi, I can’t advise you on the potential lead content of the syrup, or tell you for sure what you’re seeing - however it’s normal for a layer of mold to grow on syrup that has been left out. For our own household consumption, we’ve skimmed off the top and boiled the rest. This is a common practice . Most fungi can’t grow below the surface of syrup, because the syrup’s high sugar content pulls water out of the fungal cells.

Excellent info. The description enabled me to accurately ID what I found on my patio this morning.

Thanks!

I finished the AT Appalachian Trail in 2010 and experimented with several of the plants and mushrooms talked about along the hike.  In 2020 I had saved a bag of Viburnum Lantanoide from foraging in 2019 and started eating the leaves.  Out of all the herbs I have eaten over the past several years I like the Witch-hobble the best.  The Viburnum Lantanoide has a rich tea like flavor in food.  I will forage for this plant in the summers above all.