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!).

Gnarly Branch, Dude

What are these gnarled formations on this birch branch?

Answer

Birch budgall.

The gnarly formations on this tree branch are birch bud galls – a plant tissue deformation caused by eriophyid mites (also known quite suitably as birch bud gall mites). The parasites, which overwinter on bud scales, begin feeding in the spring, initiating gall formations as the leaves and flower buds open.

This week’s winner is Karen E. Holmes, who not only identified the gall, but the mites that caused it.

This week’s contest winner was Karen E. Holmes of Cooper, ME