Vermont Standard

By Jason Hill, Vermont Center for Ecostudies It’s hard to miss the plethora of lawn signs around the Upper Valley, and I’m not talking about the political ones. The signs

By Susan Palmer-Wetherald A volunteer oak tree seedling protected from the deer with a wire basket. Susan Palmer-Wetherald When we moved into our new home in Woodstock two years ago,

A spotted salamander is helped across the road in Sharon, VT. Have you ever seen a spotted salamander? These giant amphibians are 4.5 to 8 inches long (picture a salamander

VCE biologists and study co-authors Kent McFarland (left) and Spencer Hardy (right) © Alden Wicker By Alden Wicker, Vermont Center for Ecostudies A decade-long study published in the journal Northeastern Naturalist this month

By Abbie Castriotta Bluestem Goldenrod. Photo by Abbie Castriotta. The Woodstock Union High School Agriculture Department will host our second annual Native Plant Sale this fall. The sale will run

By Lee Moncton A 3-bin home compost system. Photo by Frank Thiemonge on Unsplash We have all heard that we should add more compost to our garden, in the same

A group of students from the Woodstock Middle School plant a native pollinator strip at East End Park Have you heard of the windshield phenomenon? This phenomenon is the widespread

by Jeannie Lindheim and Steven Shama Native perennial flowers provide food and habitat for local birds, butterflies, and bees. Photo by Jeannie Lindheim How would you feel if you couldn’t

Invasive jumping worms. source: State of VT Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets Many of us grow up learning that worms are good for the soil. While earthworms do provide

Transforming a section of your yard into a wildflower meadow creates food and habitat for many beneficial creatures. Photo by Jenevra Wetmore. As spring unfolds and the garden begins calling

A spotted salamander is helped across the road in Sharon, VT. Have you ever seen a spotted salamander? These giant amphibians are 4.5 to 8 inches long (picture a salamander

An advertisement from the early 1900s depicts a well-manicured lawn belonging to wealthy white landowners. Source: Library of Congress. Americans love lawns. According to NASA, lawns—including residential and commercial lawns

By Heather Knoll Underneath the fruiting body of the mushroom that we see coming out of the ground or growing in trees is a large network of threadlike tissue called

By Ada Mahood Milkweed seedlings in the Woodstock Union HS/MS Greenhouse. Photo by Abbie Castriotta. Spring is right around the corner and that means spring plant sales are here! Pansies

By Madeline Raynolds Vermonters know in their bones the dynamic nature of spring.  As the seasons change, we not only watch the earth come back to life from dormancy, but

By Heather Knoll There are many things that we can do to help pollinators, including planting flowering herbs and other pollinator-friendly species in the garden. Photo credit: Affonso Jr, Pexels Over

By Michael J. Caduto Turtles and their primal habitats evoke a sense of antiquity. The ability to adapt to different environments and survive through eons of time has inspired turtles’

by Jeannie Lindheim and Steven Shama How would you feel if you couldn’t eat your favorite fruits and vegetables or see beautiful flowers? Would you like to see how you

By Jenevra Wetmore Planting and encouraging milkweed in your yard and garden provides monarch butterflies with the plant required for laying eggs and feeding larvae. In the past two decades

By Michael J. Caduto Anyone who grew up in a large family knows how much time can be expended competing for food, space, and attention. Who is going to be

By Michael Caduto If a butterfly flaps its wings in Vermont, will a breeze rustle the needles of an Oyamel fir tree in Mexico? Back in the 1970’s, the Butterfly

By Michael Caduto From appreciating their beauty and form to understanding their role in storing and sequestering carbon to mitigate climate change—trees are having their moment. Here in the Green

By Michael Caduto Sugar maples have already produced several strong runs of sap during the 2022 season, and steam has been rising from sugarhouses throughout the North Country. But this

By Michael Caduto Most of the leaves have fallen. A repose has settled over the land. The bird songs that filled yesterday’s dawn have gone silent, their singers flying to

By Michael Caduto All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. -Chief Si’ahl (Seattle), of the Suquamish Nation (1780-1866) Voices of truth speak in ways that resonate

By Michael Caduto Keep a close eye out for when wild nuts ripen in order to beat chipmunks and other nut-lovers to the harvest. Photo: Michael J. Caduto Gathering wild

By Michael Caduto One of the joys of late summer is watching monarch butterflies, those delicate jewels of the air, flitting over our fields as they lay eggs on milkweed.

Barometers of Water Quality By Michael J Caduto Dragonflies are nature’s aeronautical marvels. Whether darting over water at 35 miles per hour or hovering in midair, they are a spectacle

By Jenevra Wetmore In December of 2020 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that “listing the monarch as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act is warranted.” Planting

By Jenevra Wetmore Rewilding sections of lawn by planting and encouraging native wildflowers produces an array of blossoms that attract a diversity of pollinators. Photo by Heidi Marcotte. Americans love

By Michael J. Caduto Barred Owl. Photo credit: Michael J. Caduto A barred owl has been stalking our bird feeder this winter, ever since a thick blanket of snow covered