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!).

Strange Markings

Strange markings on a red maple tree’s bark. What caused it?

Answer

Red maple target canker. Northern Woodlands discussed this disease back in 2011 in an article on bark, noting that, “In this region, the perennial target canker – a series of concentric cracks in the outer bark – is found exclusively on red maple, though not on every tree. The circular cracks mark the cycles of the disease’s progress and the tree’s subsequent compartmentalization. Neither the tree nor the fungus seems to gain the upper hand, and this competition can continue year after year.”

This week’s contest winner was Rob Anderegg