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!).

Weird Wires

What are these wire-like objects that have been exposed from beneath the bark of this dead ash tree?

Answer

Those are rhizomorphs (which are specialized bundles of hyphae) of a fungus in the genus Armillaria, commonly called the shoe-string fungus. These rhizomorphs are one reason why the fungus can spread to new areas.

This week’s contest winner was Devin Corbin