The Outside Story
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The Outside Story: Crows in Winter
During winter, I catch glimpses of crows as they fly swiftly over our valley, cawing, or gather in small groups to feed on roadkill along the highway.
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The Outside Story: Snowy owls irrupting
Here’s a quiz for Harry Potter fans: What kind of owl played Hedwig in the movies?
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The Outside Story: Balsam Fir — A Favorite Christmas Tree
Every year my husband and I cut a Christmas tree on family land. We look for a young balsam fir growing in the power line right-of-way or in…
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The Outside Story: How to preserve a snowflake
Wilson Bentley (1865-1931) lived his entire life in Jericho, where he developed a passion for snowflakes at an early age.
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The Outside Story: As summer wanes, fawns lose spots
I have often been stopped in my tracks by the sight of a white-tailed doe standing in the lush summer grass.
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The Outside Story: Ant-mimic spiders are masters of disguise
I put the small brown ant I had mounted (but never identified) under a microscope and peered down at it. Two huge, headlight-like eyes stared back at me.…
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The Outside Story: How flowers get their color
To quote the French dramatist Jean Giradoux, “The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life.” Flowering plants fill our…
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The Outside Story: Stars of the spring woods soundtrack
This spring, as you walk outside, keep an ear open for two distinctive bird songs: zee zee zee zee zo zee or zee zee zo zo zee. If…
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The Outside Story: Brown creepers: Denizens of the bark
On certain afternoons, if I time it just right, I may spot a brown creeper (Certhia americana) on the trunk of a tree in my front yard. Moving…
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The outside story: Wetlands filter, enrich the landscape
One spring, following heavy rain, I visited the Saint Michael’s College Natural Area hoping to capture exciting photographs of the rushing Winooski River. Rather than raging floodwaters, however,…
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The outside story: The secret lives of salamanders
On a warm, rainy April night a few years ago, I drove up our muddy, rutted dirt road through the mist, steering around the wood frogs hopping across…
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The Outside Story: Bluebirds flock to feeders in winter
On Valentine’s Day, as I sat down to write, I noticed a burst of blue outside my upstairs window. Looking out with my binoculars, I counted six eastern…
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The outside story: Owls are fascinating forest residents
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…
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The outside story: Tufted titmice flock to feeders
As winter approaches and snow coats the ground, the tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) will again become a ubiquitous backyard visitor. Familiar to even the most casual observers of…
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The Outside Story: The mighty oaks of the northeast
Rat-a-tat-tat. Showers of acorns hit the ground and tapped our heads as my husband and I hiked the Appalachian Trail. Thousands of acorns strewn across the path atop…
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The outside story: Brainwashed by worms
Some of my favorite children’s books describe life cycles as heroic tales of persistence and redemption. Stories such as “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “A…