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!).

Oak Oddity

We found this oak twig, sporting a cluster of interesting growths, behind the Northern Woodlands office in Lyme, New Hampshire, last week. Those are definitely not acorns. What are they?

Answer

These are banded bullet galls, created after a wasp laid its eggs on an oak twig. The wasp injects chemicals into the plant tissue, causing a gall to form around each egg. These galls protect the larvae, once they hatch, and provide a source of nutrients.

This week’s contest winner was Paqua Render