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!).

Mysterious Underbelly

Demery Coppola of Guilford, Connecticut, found this leaf on the Saint Michael’s College campus in Vermont during her Environmental Science lab. Do you know what’s on its underside?

Answer

Hackberry nipple galls, which are growing on the undersides of leaves. Adult hackberry gall psyllids (Pachypsylla celtidismamma) are 1/10-inch long insects that lay eggs on hackberry leaves as they break bud in spring. The leaves respond to chemicals released by the hatchling larvae to grow galls in which the insects live and feed until they emerge as adults in fall. Thanks to Declan McCabe for passing along the photo and information.

This week’s contest winner was Larry Clarfeld