The winter lives of salamanders
Salamanders are most conspicuous in early spring, when a number of terrestrial species migrate en masse on rainy nights, moving through the forest and, all too often, crossing roads to access breeding pools. Yet terrestrial salamanders have other, less spectacular seasonal movements, including summer and fall migrations, and those that are vertical, up and down in the earth.
Keeping winter coats clean
American beavers (Castor canadensis) and North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) both remain active through winter and have evolved many physiological and behavioral adaptions to live through freezing weather.
Fallen logs invigorate stream life
Why document logs in streams? Because the presence of wood in the water is a key indicator of stream health.
Even skunks prepare for winter
Skunks become conspicuous in autumn, including in yards and – sadly – roads. This is in large part due to dispersal, as young skunks that left their mothers at the end of summer are foraging in new home ranges.
A boxelder for Terry
Boxelder (Acer negundo) – also known as ash-leaf maple, elf maple, Manitoba maple, and other, less printable names – is the misfit cousin of the Acer family.
Petrichor: The scent of rocks and rain
When I hug my son after a day of fall bouldering, his hair smells of the sun-warmed rock we’ve been climbing over. It’s a distinctive odor, evocative of gray ledges and golden light returning after rain, and yet it’s not the rock I’m smelling, but tell-tale traces of life.
The not-so-itsy-bitsy Joro spider
Tis the season for spooky stories, and just in time for Halloween, the spider that news headlines have described as “giant,” “flying,” and “venomous” has made its way to New England.
Did you know some dragonflies migrate?
The great annual movements of fall include monarch butterflies winging toward Mexico, whales heading to the Caribbean to give birth, and multitudes of birds in the autumn skies. There’s another migration this season that often goes unnoticed by casual observers: that of dragonflies.
How wet weather affects fall foliage
The Northeast is famous for its fall foliage, as the lush, green leaves of summer transform into bright hues, turning hillsides and valleys into quilts of scarlet, ochre, and gold. Among the brightest foliage is that of our region’s various maple species. But as our summers have become on average warmer and wetter, the celebrated bounty of fall color may fade.
Late-blooming flowers feed multiple types of native, wild bees
As the height-of-summer floral abundance fades, goldenrods and asters fill the landscape with hits of yellow, purple, pink and white. Beyond the beauty they provide, these late bloomers are a critical food source for several native species of wild bees.
Black willow multi-tasks as a forest powerhouse
I often spot black willow trees as I’m kayaking along a riverbank or lakeshore. While perhaps less picturesque than its (non-native) cousin the weeping willow, black willow is native to the Northeast and provides a host of ecological benefits.
Yes, the ducks with one eye closed are sleeping
Birds exist in a fluid and unpredictable world. Survival depends on remaining constantly alert, adapting and responding to encounters with predators and environmental conditions that change with the seasons, weather, and geography.
The world according to ferns
Ferns have grown on Earth for longer than trees and flowers, and existed well before Homo sapiens. In our region, the oldest lineage, emerging 200 million years ago, is the royal fern family (Osmundaceae), including royal, cinnamon, and interrupted ferns.
The saga of the Sunapee Trout (a.k.a. Arctic Charr)
If you wanted to see the Sunapee trout, you might be inclined to search in its namesake, New Hampshire’s Lake Sunapee.
White Admirals winging through the woods
Walking on a wooded road beside a stream in early July, I spotted several tight clusters of butterflies perched on scat piles and on wet sand near the brook.
Many virtues of mountain mint
Behind my garden of native plants, one scrappy perennial holds its own among the tangle of goldenrod stalks and blackberry brambles. Its swaying flowerheads buzz with a throng of insects: golden digger and great black wasps, bumblebees, sweat bees, butterflies and beetles. This pollinator magnet is mountain mint.
The patchwork life of the brown wasp mantidfly
The brown wasp mantidfly’s lifestyle is as patchwork as its appearance. In its larval form, it hitchhikes on an unassuming spider and ultimately eats the spider’s eggs. As an adult, the mantidfly is a dangerous predator and incognito wasp mimic.
The many, varied ways caterpillars avoid predation
To protect themselves, many caterpillars have adapted ingenious, varied, and seemingly outrageous defense mechanisms.
Native cherry trees offer spring beauty, ecological gold
Each spring, cities from New York to Texas celebrate the spectacular blooming of ornamental cherry trees. In many cultures, the lovely, delicate pink and white cherry blossoms symbolize rebirth and renewal, as well as the fleeting nature of life.
Learning the language of birding
For veteran birders, the spring migration season is a delight, with new bird species arriving – or passing through – daily, in yards and forests, fields and wetlands. For newer birders or casual backyard bird watchers, this influx can be overwhelming.