What in the Woods is That?

We found this large, distinctive bud opening up in a hardwood forest in the Champlain Valley. What tree species is this?

Reader Will Durkin found these eggs on the ground of an open field in Waterford, Vermont. What animal laid them?

Reader John Roberts found this gnawed-on tree while walking in the woods in Cornwall, Vermont. What creature caused this damage?

We found this twig with fuzzy buds and distinctive smiley face bud scars in rich, rocky woods. What tree species is this from?

We came across this woody plant growing low to the ground and bearing pale, yellowish fruit. What plant is this?

We found this seed on the snow in Corinth, Vermont. What tree is it from?

Reader Michelle Giles found these beautiful ice formations in Essex Junction, Vermont. What conditions are needed for these to form?

We spotted this odd-looking goose on the ice of Lake Champlain. Why does it look different from the others?

We found this dried husk of a scape while skiing in Shelburne, Vermont. What flower was this?

This pile of scat was found in an early-successional stand of hardwoods in Kingfield, Maine. Who produced it?

These brown saucer-shaped growths were found on a fallen log in Milton, Vermont. What are they?

Reader Will Durkin came across this print in the snowy red spruce woods near Killington, Vermont. Who was walking here?

This black and orange bug was found near a hardwood forest and field in Franconia, New Hampshire. What is it?

These light, papery fruits – technically capsules, not pods – were found in rich woods in Milton, Vermont. What species do these belong to?

These cobbles were found along the bank of a river. What makes the edges of these rocks smooth and rounded?

This gorgeous piece of fluff was found in Vermont’s Victory State Forest. What is it?

While walking in the woods in Thetford, Vermont, Seasonal Notes columnist and former Northern Woodlands Executive Director Elise Tillinghast found this creature in a tangle of wild grape. What…

This lipstick-looking form was found in Errol, New Hampshire. What is it?

Reader Will Durkin came across this nest in a farm field in Franklin County, Vermont. What animal created it?