by Olivia Box I love that time in spring when the hills around my house change from gray and brown to shades of yellow, green, and red. The trees have not yet leafed out, so what’s painting the forests these […]
Category: The Outside Story
Column, The Outside Story
Warming winters benefit hemlock pests
The Outside Story By Olivia Box One spring-like afternoon this winter, I was skiing near Middlebury, Vermont. The trail followed Otter Creek, weaving through cedar patches, hemlock groves, and past the occasional hardwood. It was one of those days where […]
Column, The Outside Story
Sweet-singing cardinals defend territories
The Outside Story by Susan Shea Thump. Thud. Something was hitting our window! It was a bright red cardinal flying at his reflected image in the glass – which he perceived to be an intruder in his territory. The bird […]
Column, The Outside Story
What to see, hear, and do outdoors: A treasure hunt for early spring
The Outside Story By Elise Tillinghast This is such a disorienting time, when all our lives have been turned upside down and shaken. One of the ways my own family is coping is by spending time outside every day. We […]
Column, The Outside Story
Red-winged blackbirds return
The Outside Story By Meghan McCarthy McPhaul Around the middle of March, I begin to feel that springtime urge to hit the road, to lace up the winter-neglected running shoes and start slogging through some miles. My early-season jogs take […]
Column, The Outside Story
From yips to shrieks, fox talk runs the gamut
The Outside Story by Susie Spikoi Sometimes it pays to be an insomniac. One frigid winter night, I climbed out of my restless bed and slipped outside to stand under a sky littered with stars and take in the complete […]
Column, The Outside Story
The Outside Story: Snakes go underground to survive winter
By Sandra Mitchell During the summer, I often spy common garter snakes sunning themselves in my garden. As the snow piles up through winter, covering the landscape in cold white, I wonder where these warmth-seeking creatures have gone. Without fur […]
Column, The Outside Story
The Outside Story: Life at 39 degrees
By Declan McCabe On a picture-perfect winter morning last year, 20 Saint Michael’s College students and I visited Vermont Fish and Wildlife scientists for ice fishing at Knight’s Point on Lake Champlain. We drilled holes, baited hooks, learned about ice […]
Column, The Outside Story
The Outside Story: Frozen frogs underfoot
By Brett Amy Thelen Every once in a while, as I’m tramping through the winter woods on my snowshoes, it occurs to me that I am walking on top of frogs. In winter, our thoughts naturally turn to the species […]
Column, The Outside Story
The Outside Story: Winter Weasels – White on white
By Susan Shea On a walk one winter afternoon, I spotted two white objects darting across a snow-covered field. White on white, they were difficult to identify at first. It was a short-tailed weasel chasing a snowshoe hare! Apart from […]