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!).
What caused the horizontal split in this maple tree?
If you’ve been following our This Week in the Woods feature, you may recognize this cut-like scar as the work of a sugar maple borer larva. This common long-horned wood boring beetle spends two years in the tree, emerging as a bright yellow and black beetle. Learn more about this beetle – and the damage it may cause – from this U.S. Forest Service report.
This week’s contest winner was Allan Ryder