Naturalist Mary Holland shared this wonderful picture with us...yup, it's an animal den site. But what kind of animal?
What in the Woods is That?
June 9th 2010
Weird Design
Reader Susan Elliot took this picture at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center this past weekend while attending the 115th Annual Meeting of the Vermont Botanical and Bird Club. What is it?
May 26th 2010
Unknown Insect
Our friend Bryan Pfeiffer shared this wonderful picture with us. What kind of bug is it? (Hint: you really have seen it before, especially at this time of year.)
May 12th 2010
Mystery Den
Many mammals, including opossums, red foxes, woodchucks, raccoons, skunks, and cottontail rabbits, use holes for den sites, sometimes simultaneously. This particular hole is only being used by…
April 28th 2010
Spring Flower
We’re going to purposely ignore the fact that there’s fresh snow on the ground at the moment and offer up a more hopeful look at the forest floor. What kind of flower is this?
April 14th 2010
Unidentified Paw
As our resident tracking expert Sue Morse is fond of pointing out, feet make tracks! What kind of paw are we looking at here?
March 31st 2010
Spring Mystery
Our friend Bryan Pfeiffer submitted this intriguing picture. OK, botanists, what is it?
March 17th 2010
Woods Tool
This tool was found recently leaning up against a tree in a forest. What’s it used for?
February 26th 2010
Cones
Each of these cones was collected in the woods around our office in Corinth, Vermont. Name all five species.
February 9th 2010
Bird’s Nest
By now you’ve all had a chance to read Bernd Heinrich’s wonderful story in our winter issue on identifying bird’s nests. You have read the story, right? Put your newfound skills to work…
January 26th 2010
Sapling Damage
This picture, circa the mid-1980s, shows biologist Will Staats surrounded by scarred saplings. What, specifically, caused this damage?
January 7th 2010
Marks in Fresh Snowfall
Chris Demers of Willington, Connecticut, took this photo a few weeks back after a fresh snowfall. What made these strange marks?
December 31st 2009
Lacy Log
Reader Karen Jackson was loading her woodstove when this piece of bark fell off a log. The underside was covered in lacy designs. What caused these patterns?
December 18th 2009
Three Tanned Pelts
A trapper in southern Vermont submitted this photo showing the tanned pelts of three Northeastern mammals. From left to right, what are they?
December 11th 2009
Archeological Ruin
This archeological ruin was photographed in a yellow-birch/hard maple stand near the top of a mountain in southern Vermont. It’s not a cellar hole. For a hint, consult the winter 2009 issue…
November 12th 2009
McIntyre Job Machine
A few years back, a group of amateur history buffs spent the better part of two days dragging an enormous hunk of metal off a densely wooded mountain in southern Vermont. The area is referred…
