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Educator's E-newsletter
| October 21, 2011
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 A Look at the Season's Main Events Virginia Barlow Third Week of October Oak, poplar, apple, and lilac are usually the only deciduous trees that are still green.
Many of the birds that arrived early last spring are among the last to leave: red-tailed hawk, belted kingfisher, wood duck, and woodcock.
Each of a big cattail's cat's tails may have up to 220,000 seeds.
Fourth Week of October
Evergreen woodfern (also called spinulose woodfern) is still bright green, and this year's fronds will stay green well into next summer.
White-tailed bucks are scraping the ground, signifying the beginning of rut. Only the hardiest of the migrating songbirds are still here: bluebirds, phoebes, robins, and the occasional hermit thrush. These listing are based on observations and reports in our home territory at about 1,000 feet in elevation in central Vermont and are approximate. Events may occur earlier or later, depending on your latitude, elevation - and the weather. |
Amphibian Skin: Toxic Chemicals to Medical Marvels
Steven D. Faccio
I was eating breakfast when I noticed a black duck quietly feeding on our small pond. It would occasionally "tip-up" - head underwater, tail skyward - in typical puddle duck fashion. Suddenly, the peaceful scene was interrupted as the duck began spinning wildly in circles, one wing flapping frantically as water splashed in all directions. Ten seconds later and just as suddenly, all was calm, including the duck, which was now floating belly-up...
Full Article TextDownload the Article
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 Celebrating the Forest's Bounty
Sandra Murphy
Harvesting in a Time of Plenty, by Stephen Long
Steve Long's photo essay prompts both in-school and outdoor activities. Ask students to ponder in essay form how their family prepares for winter-do they lay in a wood supply, pre-buy fuel, can or freeze produce? How does this preparation differ from the way early settlers in your region prepared for winter? What are the ramifications of these changes? Long's article and accompanying photos offer a glimpse of the bounty of the Northern Forest. Take a woods walk with a local naturalist to see what's in the forest's autumn larder. Which animals eat which wild foods? Which plants did Native Americans and pioneers use for food or medicine? Ask each student to choose a native plant (preferably one you saw on your walk) and research its role as food for humans and wildlife. Then have them create a one-page recipe with step-by-step instructions for utilizing that plant, complete with photos of the plant and any other appropriate graphics. Compile the recipes into a wild edibles cookbook. Website: This site, created by Brandeis University students, offers extensive information on the medicinal uses of northeastern plants. Books: Peterson Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern/Central North America, by Lee Allen Peterson. Houghton-Mifflin: 1999. Just one of many field guides to wild edibles.
Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants, by Tom Brown. Berkeley Trade: 1986.
Foxfire 11. Edited by Kaye Carver Collins, Lacy Hunter, and Foxfire students. Anchor Books: 1999. Part of the Foxfire series, with large section on wild plant uses. Download the Teacher's Guide (This activity is on page 3) Download the Article: Harvesting in a Time of Plenty Click here for the complete Teacher's Guide archive!
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WHAT IN THE WOODS IS THAT?
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 Our Biweekly Guessing Game!
Kyle Jones took this close-up shot of a tree's root wad with a small hole at its center. What do you suppose made this hole?
Every other week we run a photo of something unusual found in the woods. Guess what it is and you'll be eligible to win a copy of The Outside Story, a paperback collection of our Outside Story newspaper columns. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner's name, will appear in next week's column.
This week's contest deadline is 8:00 AM, Wednesday, November 2, 2011. |
 Congratulations to our winner Richard Wyatt! Richard receives a copy of our book, The Outside Story.
Penny Harris of Cambridge, Vermont took this photo of a pine branch near her home. What's protruding from the branches?
NW Answer: Cecropia Moth Cocoon.This is the cocoon of a cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia) - the largest native moth in North America with a wingspan of 5 to 6 inches. As a caterpillar, the cecropia feeds on various shrubs and plants, and spins a cocoon of brown silk. As a moth, the cecropia flies mostly at night, and does not eat at all: it lives merely a few weeks, and its sole purpose is to mate. Incorrect but creative answers included a praying mantis cocoon and mistletoe. Visit our What In The Woods Is That? contest archive.
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If you are an educator who finds Northern Woodlands magazine useful in your classroom, you are eligible for a complimentary subscription. Simply e-mail your completed registration form to the NWGTS coordinator Emily Rowe.
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We Welcome Your Questions and Comments
Postal Address:
Northern Woodlands
1776 Center Road
P.O. Box 471
Corinth, VT 05039
Toll-Free: (800) 290-5232
Phone: (802) 439-6292
Fax: (802) 439-6296
Email: emily@northernwoodlands.org
General inquiries form
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The mission of the Center for Northern Woodlands Education is to advance a culture of forest stewardship in the Northeast and to increase understanding of and appreciation for the natural wonders, economic productivity and ecological integrity of the region's forests. Our programs give people the information they need to help build a sustainable future for our region. Through Northern Woodlands magazine, the Northern Woodlands Goes to School program, and special publications, we make a difference in how people care for their land.
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