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 here.” He may not have meant this entirely happily – he had just experienced a skunk-dog incident – but there really is a remarkable diversity of wildlife, just outside our homes. To that end, here are four images taken this past week, within 30 feet of the Tillinghast house in Thetford, Vermont.
Eastern coyotes often pass through neighborhoods at night, as did this handsome animal that was hunting mice next to a shed. Although not native to our area, coyote populations are well-established in New England, and – in the absence of wolves and catamounts, which were both extirpated from our area in the 1800s – they play an important ecosystem role as predators, for example, helping to moderate rodent populations and also taking some deer, especially in winter. They will also eat fruit and other plant matter. This time of year, coyotes are teaching their young to hunt, and you may hear them howling at night as they keep track of each other’s locations; as noted in this Outside Story article from our archive, people often think they’re hearing a large pack when they’re only hearing a few animals. Coyotes’ “yip-howls” vary second to second, and as a result create the auditory illusion of many animals calling at once, what is known as a “beau geste” effect.
This common garter snake basks on the stone steps next to the house, and lives in a tunnel beneath them. These very common snakes often show up around lawns and gardens, where they often stay still for long periods, waiting in ambush for insects and other small prey. Although, when threatened, they can put on an impressive aggressive display, garter snakes aren’t venomous and are quick to retreat when they sense the vibration of footsteps.
We found this monarch caterpillar and milkweed tussock moth caterpillar keeping company on a milkweed leaf. As noted in previous posts, both of these caterpillars are steeped in the plant’s cardiac glycosides, and have bright contrasting stripes that advertise their toxicity to birds and other would-be predators. Monarchs will continue this aposematic (warning) coloring as adult butterflies; night-flying adult milkweed tussock moths are drab looking, but produce unique ultrasonic signals that warn off bats.
The vivid red and black breeding plumage of male scarlet tanagers has a different function: to show off to potential mates. Scarlet tanagers are fairly common summer birds, but hard to see because they nest high up in the forest canopy. We most often find them in oak trees. This bird made a surprise appearance in a field-growing red oak, where it snagged what appeared to be some kind of cocoon before flitting back into the forest. Scarlet tanagers won’t stay scarlet much longer; as summer draws to a close, the males will molt, reverting to yellow-green winter plumage.
What have you noticed in the woods this week? Submit a recent photo for possible inclusion in our monthly online Reader Photo Gallery.
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