This Week in the Woods

This young Virginia opossum was skulking around the bushes near a house at night, as opossums often do. Despite sometimes being mistaken for large rats, they aren’t closely related to…

By early August, many birds have completed their parenting duties, and many migratory species will soon be heading south. However, second-brooding birds, such as house wrens, may still in the…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

This week in the woods, the beaver empire’s plans to turn the entire continent into a pond are going swimmingly, and if you look around an active beaver dam, you’re likely to see…

This Week in the Woods, keep an eye out for nature’s fireworks. All this recent rain, combined with a forecast for hot, muggy days, has set up perfect conditions for fireflies. In the…

This past weekend, a hairy-tailed mole encountered a rock underground and emerged into the daylight above it, scampered across the rock and jumped back into the earth. It then stuck its head…

This week in the woods, we’ve been enjoying the company of little wood satyrs. These early summer forest butterflies will be gone by mid-July, so now is the time to look for them in…

This week in the woods, white-tailed deer’s new antlers are becoming more noticeable as they grow. In this buck’s case, his antler nubs have just reached the moment when they touch…

In the third week of May, the Connecticut River Upper Valley experienced two unseasonably cold nights in a row, and in some places temperatures dropped to the low twenties or lower. This…

This week in the woods, white spotted sables have been showing up in meadows and (as in this photo) unmowed lawns. These tiny (about 2-centimeter wingspan) daytime moths will be flying until…

This Week in the Woods we were excited to find a Canada warbler. These are exceptionally beautiful birds – especially the males, with their dramatic black necklaces – but they can…

This week in the woods and fields, we’ve been chasing tiny butterflies. There are two very similar looking species of yellow sulphur butterflies in the air right now, orange sulphurs and…

This Week in the Woods, we begin with an announcement: if you were out jogging in Lyme this past Friday morning, and you saw a guy in a car aiming a camera in your direction, don’t…

This Week in the Woods, light green patches of ramps (wild leeks) have appeared in hardwood forests. We most often find them growing in nutrient rich, moist soils along forest streams. Ramps…

This Week in the Woods, American kestrels are feeling flirty and should be laying eggs soon, if they’re not already. This photo shows a dinner date in progress. The female is perched on…

This Week in the Woods, skunk cabbages seem to have gotten a later start this year than last, but we found a patch of them in a local wetlands, with their bright crimson spathes just beginning…

What a difference a few days makes! This week in the woods, we’ve been hearing new birdsongs, including the impressively loud, fast notes of winter wrens. As noted in this recent Outside…