Bumble Bees in Peril
Unprecedented search by VCE reveals four species either extinct or declining More than one-quarter of Vermont’s bumble bee species, which…
Vermont Atlas of Life Map of the Week: Rusty-patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis)
As recently as the 1990s the Rusty-patched Bumble Bee was a relatively common bee in Vermont. They were probably found…
How Falcons Die
A new VCE study tracks Peregrine Falcons at birth and at death One peregrine falcon, which hatched on a cliff…
One Day, Two Ross’s
A rare birdwatching feat: One Day, Two Ross’s from VCE Research Associate Bryan Pfeiffer. Read all about it and watch…
Giant Data
On a cold, rainy day in November, Kent McFarland is happy: he’s found a butterfly. Well, okay, it’s not exactly…
Vermont Atlas of Life Map of the Week: Rough-legged Hawk
Keen birders have spotted the annual arrival of Rough-legged Hawk, a buteo of the north that winters here in Vermont….
November eNews
VCE’s eNews this month features articles on butterfly adaptation in winter, Snow Goose counts in Vermont, and “zombie leaves” on…
Counting Snow Geese
By Ian Worley The first autumn snowfall in Vermont is the landing of Snow Geese in the Champlain Valley. This…
The Last Butterfly
For the past eight months they have flickered and fluttered among us – tiny flashes of red, orange, yellow and…
Exposure to common herbicide could threaten global amphibian population
Early-life exposure to the herbicide atrazine makes frogs more susceptible to death from chytrid (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), a fungal disease implicated…
Vermont Atlas of Life Map of the Week: Paper Birches
With the leaves dropping fast, the intricate peeling bark of birch trees becomes more noticeable. Many people don’t realize that…
An Itinerant Avian Visitor from the South
Two vagrant birds in a single season do not exactly constitute an “invasion”, but this October’s appearances of two White-eyed…
Vermont Atlas of Life Map of the Day: It’s What the Fox Says
Fox Sparrows are coming to a feeder near you! Check out the Vermont eBird data from contributors like you. Some…
Vermont Atlas of Life Photo-observation of the Month
Our September guest photo-editor, Andrée Sanborn, selected some amazing photos from over 2,000 observations submitted to the Vermont Atlas of…
Zombie Leaves
Yellow and brown and down to earth, they might appear dead. But they are not quite dead. They are the…
Abscission and Marcescence in the Woods
Across the hillsides many deciduous trees have lost their leaves, but some still sport a full golden-brown canopy shining brightly….
Help Us Map Red Oak Distribution Throughout Vermont
If you’ve driven interstate 91 through Vermont from the border of Massachusetts in the south to the international border in…
Loon Defending Itself from an Eagle
With the increase in Bald Eagle activity in Vermont, confrontations and flyovers are becoming a more common sight. There were…
Grassland bird experts seek solutions at national gathering
This week leading grassland bird conservationists in the U.S. are wrangling with the drastic challenges faced by declining grassland bird…
Vermont Vernal Pool Mapping Project: Results from the First Four Years
The Vermont Vernal Pool Mapping Project (VPMP) is an ongoing effort to map the location and distribution of vernal pools…
Vermont Atlas of Life New Partner: Merck Forest and Farmland Center
We’d like to welcome Merck Forest and Farmland Center (MFFC) as the newest partner with the Vermont Atlas of Life….
Help VCE Upgrade the Loon Nest-Warning Signs
Hearing the ghostly call of the loon coming through the evening mist is one of the quintessential experiences of being…
Another Record Year for Loons in Vermont
We feel like a skipping record saying, “it’s another record year,” but it was yet again! Thank you volunteers and…
Studies report leading causes of bird deaths in Canada
From cats to communications towers, the current issue of Avian Conservation and Ecology lays out the 9 leading sources of…
VCE Presents 2013 Julie Nicholson Citizen Scientist Award
Dave Hoag, a life-long resident of Grand Isle, is a man of few words but myriad natural history accomplishments. He’d rather talk about winged creatures than himself any day.
VCE and Birds Brave the Elements on Final 2013 Mansfield Foray
After nearly two months away from our favorite mountain haunt, VCE staff could hardly resist a final Mt. Mansfield “fix”. …
Turn Red or You’re Dead
I have often wondered why on one hillside the trees have muted autumn colors, while nearby on another they are…
Mountain Birdwatch Season Opening- Magalloway Mountain (3 June 2013)
The Mountain Birdwatch season opened on June 1, and I confess, I’ve been counting down the days for weeks. Months,…
Tallying Birds County by County: Results of the Vermont County eBird Quest 2012
From the drop of the ball on January 1 to the last owl hoot on December 31, hundreds of birders…
VCE Presents the 2012 Julie Nicholson Citizen Scientist Award
Citizen scientist Kevin Hemeon plans to continue his contributions to citizen science projects for as long as he can swing a net and hoist a pair of binoculars.