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!).

Insect ID

We found this insect trundling across the parking lot at the Northern Woodlands office recently. What is it? (For extra credit, what’s that yellow stuff on its body?)

Answer

This is a species of blister beetle (Lytta aenea), and touching it is a very bad idea (so is eating it, by the way). When agitated, blister beetles emit cantharidin, a toxic chemical that creates painful blisters on human skin. (Extra credit answer: The yellow stuff is pollen.) For more about blister beetles, check out this essay from our Outside Story archives.

This week’s contest winner was Emily Uhrig