What in the Woods is That?

Early on the morning of April 15, at the edge of Silver Lake in New Hampshire, Mary Holmes noticed a chipmunk with its paw resting on a dead vole. What’s going on in this picture?

A decaying log in central Vermont contained this strange landscape. What happened here?

What's black and bumpy, white and woolly, and appears on trees in spring? We found this odd combination of surfaces in Franconia, New Hampshire. Extra points if you can explain why they…

While thinning his larch plantation, Ben Canonica found this horse hockey up in a tree. Proof of Pegasus, or is there an alternative explanation?

Now that spring has officially arrived, here's a warm weather WITWIT to get you in the mood for spring. Who stuffed these nesting materials beneath the bark of a dying elm?

This photo was taken in Strafford, Vermont. What is the name of this donut-like snow formation, and what caused it?

This spinning jenny is sitting high in a sugarbush. Why?

Bonnie Honaberger found this mystery bundle attached to a winter branch. What is it?

We recently published an Outside Story describing four evergreen ferns that brave northeastern winters. Here are photos of two of these species, covered up to the tops of their fronds in the…

A very large egg? Or a very small boy? This mystery orb was photographed in a southern woods, but it's also often found in the Northeast. What is it?

While in the woods following one of our recent winter rainstorms, a few yellow stains were spotted around trees. What caused the staining of the snow? Thanks to Mike White for providing this…

The making of a Charlie Brown tree: this white pine was observed among a thicket of shrubs on a wet site. In addition to the shade and wet soil, what other major factor has limited the growth…

Found in the woods: This piece of metal is a portion (maybe one-fifth) of a longer object that was a crucial part of an old piece of equipment. What is it?

What caused the growths and dead needles on these branches?

What caused this branch to break from the canopy of the tree above?

Is this a topping of black pepper on the hophornbeam (also known as hardhack) leaves, or something else? There’s a hint in the photo.

“I found this huge thingy in the remains of an old maple stump in my yard,” explains Pamela Wells. The accompanying photo shows a cross-section; what is it?

No, this balsam fir is not changing colors as part of fall foliage. What does explain its yellow needles, the undersides of which hold the answer?

Last week, a game camera in Strafford, Vermont, captured this wildlife selfie. What are we looking at? Or, rather, what is looking at us?

The photographer was drawn to this tree (in mid-July, on a rich site) by a loud hum coming from its canopy. What’s the tree species, and why was its canopy humming?