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!).

Mystery Markings

While snowshoeing in central Vermont, we found a number of these sideways scrapes on hardwood trees by a talus slope. What made these marks?

Answer

A hungry porcupine chewed on this tree. In winter, porcupines often scrape away the outer bark of trees to get to the cambium, or inner bark. These intricately patterned marks can be found near the base of a tree, or high up, where a porcupine has perched to nosh on the cambium.

This week’s contest winner was Al Stoops