Posts by Vermont Center for Ecostudies 
Field Guide to October 2025
Nature is putting on its final, colorful autumn show. Leaves are turning and falling, bees are buzzing around the asters, and mushrooms are putting out their final fruit. Don’t blink or you’ll miss it!
Field Guide to September 2025
As the weather begins to shift, we turn our attention to southward migration. From Green Darner Dragonflies to Bicknell’s Thrush, VCE scientists are uncovering the mysteries of migrating species and using this knowledge to help conservation efforts.
Teaching the Teachers About Community Science
Science educator and naturalist Ron Smith partnered with VCE to facilitate our fourth Community Science Teacher Education Workshop this July. Here he shares all the invertebrate investigations the teachers engaged in on just one day of the four-day workshop.
Field Guide to August 2025
In August, birding efforts are fruitful if you know where to look. Berry-bearing trees and shrubs feed thrushes, waxwings, and bluebirds, while migrating shorebirds pause along gravel bars and mudflats. Where else can you see gems of summer’s end? One of the many public lands that make the woods and waters of northern New England accessible to all.
Field Guide to July 2025
Summer is the season to discover unsung (and often unseen) wildlife—like the wild bees, moths, and beetles who play vital roles in the ecosystem. Dive into July’s field guide to learn more about these animals and uncover the buzz, hum, and scuttle of summer.
Field Guide to June 2025
With nice weather finally (finally?) upon us, many are turning their attention to outdoor adventure. While out exploring, may come across these early summer sights: montane birds at the trailhead or White Bog Orchids in a marsh or bog. Or wildlife may come to you, with a colony of house bats and their pups! This June’s guide gives you insight into their behaviors and life history.
Field Guide to May 2025
This month is filled with natural delights. Bees buzzing around flowering trees, lively Blackpoll Warblers in backyards, and bud burst await. Grab your binoculars and take a neighborhood walk — here are the sounds and sights of May.
Field Guide to March 2025
March has arrived in classic New England spring fashion this year. With rapid shifts between blistering cold and warm rainy days, this month is reminiscent of its’ eponymous Roman god, Mars. Being named after the god of war, March is a month of battles between warm and cold, between winter’s refusal to leave and spring’s insistence on coming.
Follow this contest as it unfolds to an inevitable conclusion with these signs of spring.
February 2025 Field Guide
This month, wildlife and the rest of us here in New England will cross a threshold – arbitrary yet not insignificant: 10 hours of daylight. So here’s a Field Guide to February to help get your hopes up, no matter what that Groundhog predicts.
Field Guide to January 2025
Although the days are slowly growing longer, life in the Northeast now finds itself in the coldest depths of winter. January is about survival. Wildlife that doesn’t migrate adapts instead in order to make it to spring.
Field Guide to December 2024
As we move into this chilly month, you may find yourself wondering how wildlife adapts and survives each winter. Cozy up with our Field Guide to December and a warm cup of tea to learn how species face the cold-weather challenges ahead, and what they leave behind in the warmer months for you to find.
Field Guide to November
With November comes a stronger nip to the morning air and the rushed activity of wildlife either preparing for their winter stay or leaving Vermont for their winter location. Read our Field Guide to November.
