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!).

Woodland Candy

Reader Judy Brook took this picture while kayaking the LaPlatte River in Shelburne, VT. What is it?

Answer

A gypsy moth egg mass.

This dollop of fluff represents up to a thousand caterpillars, each capable of munching their way through about nine square feet of leaf area. An invasive insect that first arrived on our shores circa 1860s, the gypsy moth is particularly fond of oak and aspen, but USDA - APHIS reports that the critters will eat over 300 different species of trees and shrubs. You can read more about gypsy moths here.

This week’s contest winner was Jerry Milne of Plymouth, CT