What in the Woods is That?

Though they were spotted this fall at the Maine Tree Farm of the Year event at the Hidden Valley Nature Center, these forest pests seem appropriately festive for this time of year. Can you…

Why are there stripes on this forest floor following a light dusting of snow?

Meghan Oliver found this on her dog after a walk in the woods in early November. What is it?

Bruce Connor of New York sent along a photo of this “large growth by the leaf pile,” noting that the multi-tool included for reference is 6 inches long. What is it?

Tracker Lynn Levine sent along this neat shot. She knows what made the tracks, do you?

This small black patch was seen on the forest floor in early October in southern Vermont. What is it, and what helped cause it?

What the heck happened to make this tree “turn” out this way? (Thanks to Rick Russack in New Hampshire for the photo.)

Leaves are turning beautiful colors this time of year, but these spots aren’t so pretty. What are they? Bonus points for identifying the tree.

This photo was taken just this morning. What is it?

What is happening with this (now dead) caterpillar that Karla Salathe photographed in South Sutton, New Hampshire? Bonus question, what type of leaf is it on?

Meghan Oliver spotted this wild scene on a tree in Vermont. Do you know what these striped creatures are?

These wood chip piles were observed near each other on a walk in the woods early last winter. Each pile was found at the base of a tree. What made each chip pile?

Here’s a tip: Found earlier this summer in Vermont.

Jan Van Meter recently spotted “two of these white balls with pink nodes” attached to the twigs of a white oak in southern New York.

It’s metal, it’s rusty, and it’s hollow. This is a section of a longer piece found in the woods in southern Vermont. What is it?

Red petals decorate the forest floor in Windham County, Vermont, on Memorial Day weekend. What are they?

Beech nuts, gravel, emergent vegetation. Where was this strange amalgamation found?

Ellen Snyder stumbled across this in New Hampshire and thought we might appreciate it. We ate it up.

It’s not a waffle, but there is a connection.

This week’s WITWIT is more of a WTHHH (What the heck happened here?).