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What in the Woods is That?

Seeing Stars?

Author Bernd Heinrich sent us this photo of what he described as “stars in the daytime,” which he spied on August 20th in the noon-time sky. What are they?

Which Wood?

Here are four photos from a building the Thomson family is constructing on their property in Orford, New Hampshire. Tom Thomson explained these are all wood species “that I cut or had…

Mysterious Fluff

Reader Tammis Coffin shared this photo, from Maine’s Baxter State Park, of some fluffy-looking white matter on a tree branch. What is this?

Perplexing Poof

This poofy white ball was spotted in northern New Hampshire by reader Sandy Dannis. What is this?

Barking Up Which Tree?

We took this photo in a forest in northern Aroostook County, Maine. Can you identify the species by its bark?

Befuddling Beech

We spotted these beech leaves sporting dark stripes in the woods near Bucksport, Maine. What’s happening here?

Squiggly Mystery

Reader Ann Basehore found this squiggly, gelatinous mass on a red cedar tree in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. What is it?

Moose Crossing

Why did the moose cross the road? Jim Dannis found this young moose (looking worse for wear from winter ticks) bowing down to lick a back road in northern New Hampshire. Why is it doing this?

Mystery in the Unfurling

We came across this interesting seed-like clump amid unfurling leaves along a wooded path in New Hampshire this week. What is this?

Fuzzy Tree Mystery

Northern Woodlands reader Ciel Setterstrom was hiking on the Nipmuck Trail in Connecticut and spotted some “fuzzy looking stuff” wedged into this tree hollow. What is it, and why is it there?

Strange Threads

Northern Woodlands reader Harry Zane discovered these “strange white threads” in an oak log he was splitting. What are they?

A Spring Puzzle

This time of year, a walk through the woods reveals many signs of spring. Can you identify these four?

Lost Leaves

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.)

Stumped on the Trail

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

Baffled in the Bog

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?

Blushing Birch

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

Hole-y Snow

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

Whose Seeds are These?

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

Birch Snacks

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?

Still Life in Silhouette

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