What in the Woods Is That?

Play our biweekly guessing game!

Whatever draws us into the forest—be it birdwatching or logging, hiking or hunting—all of us are unified by the sense of wonder we feel in the outdoors. The forests, fields, and streams of our region are full of mystery, and if you stop and look closely, you’ll see all sorts of oddities.

Below find a picture of one such woodlands curio. Guess what it is and you’ll be eligible to win a Northern Woodlands woodpecker magnet designed by artist Liz Wahid. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner’s name, will appear when the next column is posted and in our newsletter (sign up here!).

Boggling Berries

A gallery of berries: These were all found within 10 feet of each other on a ridge sticking out of wetlands in Strafford, Vermont. Top to bottom, what are they?

Answer

1. Canada mayflower / false lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense)
2. creeping snowberry / creeping spicy wintergreen (Gaultheria hispidula)
3. bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)
4. bunchberry / Canada dwarf dogwood (Chamaepericlymenum canadense)
5. wild sarsparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)

This week’s contest winner was Lillie Vitelli