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!).
Who’s munching on this milkweed?
Euchaetes egle, the milkweed tussock caterpillar in the family Arctiidae. “Milkweed butterflies have had a serious decline, but this species has done very well in the past couple years,” says Vermont state entomologist Alan Graham, who helped us out with this ID.
This week’s contest winner was Christina McLaughlin of Albany, NY