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!).

A Fascinating Find

While walking in a stand of hemlocks and spruce, we found an area where a deer had dug extensively into the soft ground. Close inspection revealed a number of broken, soft-bodied yellow stems, and this intact something hidden under leaves beside a hoof print.

What is this? Or, more accurately, what are these?

Answer

The long stem with a cap is a parasitic fungus, commonly known as a drumstick truffleclub, that grew out of a deer truffle (or “false truffle”) in the Elaphomyces genus. The deer truffle is the round, dark shape at the base. Deer truffles develop underground and, as their name indicates, they’re a favored food of cervids.

This week’s contest winner was Zachary J. Denman