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!).
Our Facebook friend Terry Holden took this picture of a yellow birch in Cambridge, Vermont. What caused the tree to grow in this funky manner?
The seed from this yellow birch tree germinated on a stump or fallen log. Over time, the tree grew and the log or stump it was growing on rotted away, leaving this funny looking void.
This week’s contest winner was Matt Stinchfield of Lincoln, NE. We had well over 100 correct answers!