What in the Woods is That?

The birds that made this nest have long since vacated it. Why are there leaves covering the nest? (And thanks to Sandy Dannis for the photos.)

Northern Woodlands board member emeritus Si Balch shared this photo of a bumpy trail through the woods. What caused these icy lumps?

While exploring a frozen cedar bog in Dalton, New Hampshire, reader Sandy Dannis spotted this mound with a hole at the top of it. What is this?

We found this gray birch with splashes of red on its trunk. What caused this tree’s blush?

We came across this hole in the snow while cross-country skiing through the woods. What happened here?

In the January woods, we found these tree seeds and bracts on top of snow. Which trees dropped these?

We found these marks on a birch tree, about a foot above the snow, during a ski through the woods this week. Who’s been noshing on this tree?

We recently took this photo of a fruit laden tree in silhouette. What is it?

Who raided a cornfield, took out a patch of stalks, and dragged them down into the wetlands?

This chunk of bark, which stood out against a backdrop of fallen brown leaves, seems to be a missing piece of a puzzle. What happened here?

We found what appeared to be scraps of dinosaur skin under the leaves by a stream. What is this?

We’ve reached that point of autumn where there seem to be as many leaves on the ground as there are left clinging to trees and shrubs and vines. A quick leaf-gathering walk near the Northern…

We found these funky fungi with curled back, slimy caps growing in a mixed hardwood stand in central Vermont. What are these?

Geologist Peter Thompson photographed these rocks in East Thetford, Vermont. What is the rock type, and what would you call structures like this?

This time of year, summer’s bounty of blooming things is transitioning from flower to fruit. The first image was shared by Bruce Lindwall of Craftsbury, Vermont, who wrote, “There may be…

Reader John Ford of Laconia, New Hampshire, shared the top photo of “strange deposits on a beech tree” the same day Jim Cummings of Kennebunk, Maine, sent in the bottom photo of a similar…

The barred owl’s call is often described as sounding like Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all? Owls don’t cook at all, of course, but this one (photographed by reader Sandy Dannis)…

Reader Tammis Coffin sent in this mystery macro photo of something she spotted on a rainy day in the woods of Mariaville, Maine, early this month. What is this?

This fledgling bird was found in an old apple orchard covered with grape vines and bordered by forest, about 660 feet above sea level, on June 24th. What species is it?

A reader in Stony Creek, New York, submitted this photo of a bubbly substance at the base of a yellow birch. What’s brewing here?