What in the Woods is That?

Reader Michelle Giles found these beautiful ice formations in Essex Junction, Vermont. What conditions are needed for these to form?

We spotted this odd-looking goose on the ice of Lake Champlain. Why does it look different from the others?

We found this dried husk of a scape while skiing in Shelburne, Vermont. What flower was this?

This pile of scat was found in an early-successional stand of hardwoods in Kingfield, Maine. Who produced it?

These brown saucer-shaped growths were found on a fallen log in Milton, Vermont. What are they?

Reader Will Durkin came across this print in the snowy red spruce woods near Killington, Vermont. Who was walking here?

This black and orange bug was found near a hardwood forest and field in Franconia, New Hampshire. What is it?

These light, papery fruits – technically capsules, not pods – were found in rich woods in Milton, Vermont. What species do these belong to?

These cobbles were found along the bank of a river. What makes the edges of these rocks smooth and rounded?

This gorgeous piece of fluff was found in Vermont’s Victory State Forest. What is it?

While walking in the woods in Thetford, Vermont, Seasonal Notes columnist and former Northern Woodlands Executive Director Elise Tillinghast found this creature in a tangle of wild grape. What…

This lipstick-looking form was found in Errol, New Hampshire. What is it?

Reader Will Durkin came across this nest in a farm field in Franklin County, Vermont. What animal created it?

This sessile-leaved bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia) is spotted with bright green dots while the rest of the plant turns yellow. What’s happening here?

We came across these light pink bumps on a rotting log. What are they?

Reader Lori van Handel found this interesting thing on the forest floor in Williamstown, Massachusetts. What is it?

This spiky meadowsweet was found walking in a field. What creates this spiky form?

These white arches can be found on the forest floor, emerging from the soil and reentering just a couple inches away. What are they?

This week in the woods we came across these globs of bright pink spattered across moss on a decaying log. What is this?