WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – It’s not a gaudy butterfly. It isn’t the biggest or the smallest. In fact, it’s mostly just white. But this butterfly is unusual: It only flies in forests. To see this butterfly, you must visit a rich, mature hardwood forest carpeted with spring wildflowers. West Virginia[Read More…]

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Blueberry season in Vermont is a sweet one! With an abundance of pick-your-own farms and several wild species, it’s a time of year you surely won’t want to miss. But why are we mentioning blueberry season in our Field Guide to May when the first berries[Read More…]

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Hold two nickels and a dime in your hand: that’s the summer weight of a Blackpoll Warbler. This black-capped songbird returns in early May from its wintering grounds in northern South America to its breeding grounds that range from New England’s mountain forests to Alaska’s boreal[Read More…]

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Peer into a woodland vernal pool in New England right now, and you’re liable to find masses of developing spotted salamander eggs. Many of them have a green hue visible throughout the gelatinous mass. Most things lying in water eventually get coated in algae. But in[Read More…]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A few ledges along the Connecticut River are home to a rare plant commonly known as Jesup’s milk-vetch (Astragalus robbinsii var. jesupii). In fact, this species, which has been listed as federally endangered since 1987, only grows at six sites along a 16-mile stretch of the river[Read More…]

HOPKINTON, N.H. – 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. Beyond these showy cultivated trees, our region boasts[Read More…]

RANDOLPH – Years ago, a hitchhiker found a baby red squirrel beneath a tree and brought it to the nature center where I worked as a naturalist and wildlife rehabilitator. The squirrel kit had not yet opened its eyes, so we estimated it was only three weeks old. Most squirrels[Read More…]

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Willows (genus Salix) are pollen powerhouses in April. From river banks to roadside ditches, these fast-growing shrubs provide abundant food for early spring pollinators. Their inconspicuous, greenish flowers are visited by a variety of different bees and other insects and are likely the primary pollen source[Read More…]

FRANCONIA, N.H. – The shift begins around the time we turn the clocks ahead, a gradual transition from winter’s steady chorus of chickadees, squawking jays, and crows cawing over the compost pile to, well, more. On an afternoon walk along back roads, I’ll hear an avian uprising and look up[Read More…]

FRANCESTOWN, N.H. – For nearly 15 years, I have been exploring the headwaters of a river near my home. The entire drainage area, encompassing all the streams, rainfall, and snowmelt that pass into a single river, is called a watershed. Within each watershed, a system of rivers and streams forms[Read More…]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – If you take to the water this spring, there’s a good chance you’ll spot a great blue heron, New England’s most recognizable large wading bird. But you might also see one of several other similar species that breed in or pass through our region’s wetlands. Telling these[Read More…]

BURLINGTON – The sharpest contrast between rivers and lakes is in water movement. While rivers flow inexorably downhill, lake water movement is more subtle. Anyone who has weathered a storm on a lake, however, can attest that less consistent water movement does not mean no water movement at all. In[Read More…]