By Declan McCabe On a clear midwinter day several years ago, my student Sarah Wakefield and I pulled on snowshoes, donned backpacks, and headed up through Smuggler’s Notch. Our destination was Big Spring, which rises from Mt. Mansfield’s bedrock before […]
Category: The Outside Story
Bobcats on the go
By Susie Spikol There comes a time in every mammal mother’s life when her young leave. For some, this comes in a matter of weeks, for others it might be years. As I follow bobcat tracks through snow on a […]
Lichens: winter survivalists
By Rachael Mirrus In a February forest, evergreens provide welcome color. But look more closely on the bark of trees, both conifers and hardwoods, and you’ll find other bright hues, from sunny yellows to blue-greens. These are lichens, common but […]
Eastern white pine: the Northeast’s tallest conifer
By Tiffany Soukup Last summer I regularly passed a stand of towering white pine trees at Camp Plymouth State Park in Ludlow, where I live and work. Most days I saw at least one hairy woodpecker, a few blue jays, […]
The hairy woodpecker: insect hunter extraordinaire
By Susan Shea A woodpecker frequently visits our feeder, alighting on the wooden supporting post and hopping up the post to the suet. Its medium size and striking markings – black wings spotted with white, a large white patch on […]
How insects spend the winter
By Declan McCabe I consider the lack of biting insects and other invertebrates to be a wondrous gift of the winter season. I can wander unmolested through wood and field absent the attentions of mosquitoes, deer flies, and ticks. And […]
Owls are common and fascinating forest residents
By Lee Emmons On frigid winter evenings, the hooting of a barred owl (Strix varia) serves as a reminder that the darkened forests of the Northeast are still very much alive with activity. Owls’ nocturnal calling emanates from favorite forest […]
Wood turtles are rare (and threatened) beauties
By Michael J. Caduto Last June, my wife Marie and I encountered a mature wood turtle while walking through a forest near our home. We admired the intricate topography of its shell, inspiration for this species’ scientific name: Glyptemys (“carved […]
Where are our summer birds?
By Susan Shea Mornings are quiet now. Gone is the loud chorus of bird song outside my window that I awoke to in spring and summer. While we brave the cold, snow, and bitter winds of winter by donning extra […]
Hair ice and frost flowers, ephemeral frozen forms abound
By Laurie D. Morrissey If you are out walking on an early winter morning, you might be lucky enough to see some of nature’s most beautiful and ephemeral sights: hair ice and frost flowers, both snow-white and delicate against the […]