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!).
We’ve reached that point of autumn where there seem to be as many leaves on the ground as there are left clinging to trees and shrubs and vines. A quick leaf-gathering walk near the Northern Woodlands office yielded lots of variety, including the four leaves pictured here. What kind of leaves are these?
1. American beech
2. Highbush cranberry
3. Staghorn sumac (leaflet of compound leaf)
4. Virginia creeper (leaflet of compound leaf)
This week’s contest winner was Susan Sawyer