Vermont Center for Ecostudies WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Every holiday season, my family and I spend a weekend day cutting down our Christmas tree. We like to go to a local place about 45 minutes away in New Hampshire. The owner used to be a wetlands scientist, and you can[Read More…]
The Outside Story
The incredible shrinking shrew
MILLBROOK, N.Y. – Last autumn, I was canoeing in a quiet saltwater cove on the Maine coast when I realized I had a tiny stowaway onboard. A masked shrew (Sorex cinereus, also called the cinereus or common shrew) was huddled in the boat’s bow, trying to disappear into the nose[Read More…]
Quiet persistence of clubmosses
BROOKFIELD – Walking in our woods in winter, I notice dense patches of clubmoss that lend a welcome splash of green to the forest floor. Some of these evergreen plants resemble miniature Christmas trees; others have fuzzy runners that creep across the ground. Despite their name, clubmosses are not true[Read More…]
Where do bees go in winter?
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Step outside on a brisk December day, and you’re likely to be surrounded by bees. No, you’re not likely to observe a bee visiting your snowman or investigating your yellow parka while you shovel the walk; yet they are all around us, probably much closer than[Read More…]
Bird brain isn’t so bad
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Once meant as an insult, being called “bird brain” should really be considered a compliment, especially if the bird in question is a Black-capped Chickadee. Scientists have amassed decades of research demonstrating the cognitive powers of these small, feisty birds. As year-round northeastern residents, chickadees prepare[Read More…]
Cocoon spotting: giant silk moths in winter
NEW ENGLAND – Late fall and early winter are the best times of year to spot giant silk moth cocoons in New England. Perhaps you’ve seen these creatures in the summer, fluttering by a porch light in the evening or resting on a garage wall in the early morning after[Read More…]
Trappers and educators protect Vermont against invasive beetle
VERMONT – Across six sites in Vermont’s forests, Savannah Ferreira and her team of trappers are on the lookout for six-legged invaders. If the rogues establish a stronghold here, they will pillage tree habitats and hold sugar producers hostage. The trappers cloak lures in forest camouflage to spring on their[Read More…]
Winter visitor: Rough-legged Hawk
MILLBROOK, N.Y. – In late autumn, cold air masses come barreling down from the Canadian Arctic like an atmospheric avalanche, bringing with them a visitor from the North: the rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus). Its arrival is not as heralded as that of another arctic invader, the snowy owl, but the[Read More…]
Burgeoning black bear populations
READING – A few nights ago, I heard a crash on the front porch and flicked on the light to reveal a black bear’s reflective eyes. It lorded over the contents spilling out of our overturned floor freezer. I opened the door, prompting it to tear back through the screen[Read More…]
Porcupettes No More
BURLINGTON – Last week, during a walk in the woods, I turned towards soft sounds in the understory and saw a small porcupine waddling through fallen oak and maple leaves. Porcupines have terrible eyesight and can’t see more than several feet in front of them, so I was able to[Read More…]
New Vermont bee checklist, conservation rankings published
VERMONT – A decade-long study published in the journal Northeastern Naturalist this month found that 352 wild bee species call Vermont home, with 60% of those species likely in need of conservation action. The study, led by researchers from Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE,) in collaboration with the Vermont Fish &[Read More…]
Journey of a single bee observation
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Last month I reconnected with a geologist colleague from years ago who mentioned that he uses iNaturalist in the university classes he teaches. “We contribute a lot of observations,” he said. “Who knows if they’re really of use to anyone?” So let’s trace the journey of[Read More…]
