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!).
A reader in central Vermont found this black, bumpy structure, about 5 inches long, nestled in patch of forest floor where snow had recently receded. Mutant pinecone? Sleeping porcupine? What is this?
This is the rhizome of a Christmas fern. This fern’s rhizome typically grows horizontally underground and produces roots below and new fern shoots above.
This week’s contest winner was Bethany Miller