What in the Woods Is That?

Play our biweekly guessing game!

Whatever draws us into the forest—be it birdwatching or logging, hiking or hunting—all of us are unified by the sense of wonder we feel in the outdoors. The forests, fields, and streams of our region are full of mystery, and if you stop and look closely, you’ll see all sorts of oddities.

Below find a picture of one such woodlands curio. Guess what it is and you’ll be eligible to win a Northern Woodlands woodpecker magnet designed by artist Liz Wahid. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner’s name, will appear when the next column is posted and in our newsletter (sign up here!).

A Prickly Mess

Reader Paul Fillion submitted this picture that his daughter Renee took in central New Hampshire. What is it?

Answer

Water strider naiads (and a newly-emerged damsel fly that can’t be ID’d without a hand lens). While both the naiads and the damsel fly are predatory insects, our dragonfly expert didn’t think there was any predation going on here. Just a crowded beach. Thanks very much to Paul and his daughter, Renee, for sharing this picture.

This week’s contest winner was Lorraine Blass of Enfield, ME