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!).

A Paired Puzzle

Reader Peter Thompson recently discovered this worm – and odd yellow blobs – in damp soil under a barrel on his property in Thetford, Vermont. What type of worm is this? And what are the clusters of tiny yellow spheres?

Answer

These are invasive jumping worms, which are extremely difficult to eradicate. They deplete the soil of nutrients and leave behind excreted castings that resemble coffee grounds, visible along the top of the photo. (Learn more about jumping worms on this page from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Foods and Markets.) The yellow blobs are slug or snail eggs – it’s hard to know which until they hatch! Here’s a great post from naturalist Mary Holland on the topic.

This week’s contest winner was Tracey Sherry