March 2026
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April 21st, 2026 Reader Photo Gallery

March 2026

When photos of colorful skunk cabbage and perky woodcock roll in, we know it’s somewhere between winter and spring. Signs of both seasons appear at once: an undeterred goldfinch, submitted by Cynthia Crawford of Norwich, Vermont, still clings to winter, while painted turtles sun in Auburn Township, Ohio, and a bold mink poses in Washingtonville, Pennsylvania.

We’re looking for April 2026 photos that relate to northeastern forests. Readers may submit up to three photos for consideration.

Gallery Submission Deadline: Thursday, April 30, 2026. This gallery appears in our biweekly e-newsletter. Sign up here!

Painted turtle Photo: Robert Piepsny
Auburn Township, OH. “Painted turtles at Beartown Lakes.” | Photo: Robert Piepsny
Beaver Photo: Carol Roede
Lincoln, MA. “Seeing - and hearing - more beaver activity, as individuals stop to gnaw cambium from fresh branches.” | Photo: Carol Roede
Mink Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Washingtonville, PA. “Mink are usually bold, but this may have been the boldest mink of all.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Skunk cabbage Photo: John DeWitt
Isle au Haut, ME. “Emerging skunk cabbage in a vernal pool.” | Photo: John DeWitt
Goldfinch Photo: Cynthia Crawford
Norwich, VT. “Goldfinch on ice.” | Photo: Cynthia Crawford
Loopy tree Photo: Amberlyn Wenner
Corinth, NY. “A very loopy tree.” | Photo: Amberlyn Wenner
Wildcat Photo: Amy Quist
Heath, MA. “A surprise, Sunday morning sighting in the front yard - definitely not the neighbor’s cat!” | Photo: Amy Quist
Eagle and raven Photo: Lisa J. Allard
Brighton, VT. “Raven pestering a bald Eagle near Clyde River.” | Photo: Lisa J. Allard
Gray berkshires Photo: Cosmo Catalano
Williamstown, MA. “Early spring in the Berkshires, Pine Cobble and beyond.” | Photo: Cosmo Catalano
Moon bucket Photo: Emily Benson
Jackson, NH. “The moon sets over our sugarbush.” | Photo: Emily Benson
Spring robins Photo: Danny Kennedy
Abington, MA. “Signs of spring!” | Photo: Danny Kennedy
River otters Photo: Donna Snow
Stowe, VT. “River otters enjoying a snack in the pond behind my house.” | Photo: Donna Snow
Tom turkeys Photo: Karinne Heise
Warner, NH. “A closeup of a couple of tom turkeys strutting in the midst of a large flock foraging along a forest edge.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Cardinal Photo: Ken Hatch
Bethel, VT. “Northern cardinal, a bright spot in a season of spring browns and winter whites.” | Photo: Ken Hatch
Ice cakes Photo: Jack Nelson
Plainfield, MA. “Ice cakes.” | Photo: Jack Nelson
Heron nest Photo: Jackie Robidoux
Merrimack, NH. “Great blue heron in nest.” | Photo: Jackie Robidoux
Hepatica blooming Photo: Tammis Coffin
Sheffield, MA. “Hepatica blooming on the last day of March.” | Photo: Tammis Coffin
Willow gall Photo: Sandy Miklas Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Willow pinecone gall, caused by a gall midge, found on the tip of a willow branch.” | Photo: Sandy Miklas Dannis
Woodcock Photo: Karen Suhrhoff
Newbury, MA. “Woodcock season! A sure sign of spring. We were walking on a trail and there were three feeding right next to the path.” | Photo: Karen Suhrhoff
Owl pellet Photo: Janice Tassinari
Monterey, MA. “We generally call it an owl pellet, but all raptors and several other birds also regurgitate undigested material like bones, claws, fur, etc.” | Photo: Janice Tassinari
Sugaring Photo: Sheri Larsen
Stowe, VT. “It’s sugaring time!” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Deer Photo: Lisa J. Allard
Braintree, VT. “Snow geese and deer grazing out in the field.” | Photo: Lisa J. Allard
Sun halo Photo: Cynthia Crawford
Williston, VT. “Sun halo.” | Photo: Cynthia Crawford
Common milkweed Photo: Lynette Reep
Burlington, VT. “Common milkweed showing off last year’s seeds in the late afternoon light.” | Photo: Lynette Reep
Red headed woodpecker Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Washingtonville, PA. “Uncommon and beautiful, red-headed woodpeckers breed in a stand of large old trees with a sparse understory.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Deer Photo: Ross Lanius
North Haven, CT. “White-tailed deer eying me when she stopped while browsing the meadow.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Skunk cabbage Photo: Ross Lanius
North Haven, CT. “Skunk cabbage is an indicator the winter is nearing the end.” | Photo: Ross Lanius
Floodwaters Photo: Karinne Heise
Warner, NH. “Receding floodwaters leaving behind blossoms of ice along a riverbank.” | Photo: Karinne Heise
Northern red belt Photo: Sandy Miklas Dannis
Dalton, NH. “Old Northern Red Belt (Fomitopsis mounceae) provides some early spring color.” | Photo: Sandy Miklas Dannis
Woodcock Photo: Sandy Miklas Dannis
Dalton, NH. “They’re back! Woodcock in search of thawed ground after early spring snow.” | Photo: Sandy Miklas Dannis
Vernal pool Photo: Janice Tassinari
Sheffield, MA. “Filling out papers to certify a vernal pool as we stood and listened to many wood frogs in a loud ‘quacking’ chorus!” | Photo: Janice Tassinari
Bluebird Photo: Scotty Gladstone
East Meredith, NY. “Male bluebird takes flight from my pear tree.” | Photo: Scotty Gladstone
Ancient boiler Photo: Susan Lichty
Acworth, NH. “Ancient boiler for air compressor for rock drills. Balla Mine.” | Photo: Susan Lichty
Eastern phoebe Photo: Charlie Schwarz
South Williamsport, PA. “The eastern phoebes were back in late March.” | Photo: Charlie Schwarz
Ice ferns Photo: Tammis Coffin
Great Barrington, MA. “A weave of icicle and polypody fern on quartzite boulder at Monument Mountain.” | Photo: Tammis Coffin
Tufted titmouse Photo: Sheri Larsen
Essex Town, VT. “Tufted titmouse at Woodside Natural Area.” | Photo: Sheri Larsen
Sunny cat Photo: Tom Nold
Shelburne, VT. “Cat catching some sun on a warm stone wall.” | Photo: Tom Nold
Willow moon Photo: Carol Betsch
Conway, MA. “Moon over pussy willows.” | Photo: Carol Betsch
Waxwings Photo: Karen Suhrhoff
Kennebunkport, ME. “I was eating lunch when I saw the cedar waxwings fly in to finish off the crabapples in our trees!” | Photo: Karen Suhrhoff
Cliffs Photo: Ann Pearce
Shelburne, VT. “Red rocks cliffs from the frozen lake.” | Photo: Ann Pearce
March woods Photo: Matthew Cekuta
Jefferson, ME. “Sights from walking in the woods in the month of March.” | Photo: Matthew Cekuta
Chipmunk Photo: Ken Hatch
Bethel, VT. “March 10, the first eastern chipmunk I have seen out this year. Amazing how they can be so clean after spending the winter underground.” | Photo: Ken Hatch
Skunk cabbage Photo: Janice Tassinari
Sheffield, MA. “On my way to my trail camera I found about a half dozen partially eaten skunk cabbage. Trail camera showed a black bear came through earlier that morning.” | Photo: Janice Tassinari
Moonset Photo: Amy Johnson
Lake Luzerne. “Both were taken within minutes of each other about 6:15 AM. Moonset over Potash Mountain to the west and sunrise to the east.” | Photo: Amy Johnson

Submit Your Photos to the Reader Gallery

We’re always thrilled to see what’s happening in the Northeast through your eyes. Each season, we feature approximately 50 reader-submitted images in our online gallery. To be considered, please send us photos taken within the past month.

You may submit up to three photos per person. While we can’t publish every submission, we carefully consider each one.

When reviewing submissions, we look for:

  • A variety of topics and subjects
  • High-quality, well-composed images
  • Good resolution (prefer images at least 1000 pixels on the longer edge)
  • Geographic diversity across the region

Before submitting, please read and agree to the terms and conditions below. These give Northern Woodlands a perpetual license to use your photographs. If your image isn’t selected for the gallery but we’d like to feature it elsewhere, we’ll reach out to you.

Having trouble submitting? You can also email your photo(s) and caption(s) to: Nancy (at) northernwoodlands.org. Please use the subject line: Reader Photo Submission. And don’t forget to confirm in your email that you’ve read and agreed to our terms and conditions.

By checking the box above, you are agreeing to our Reader Photo Gallery Terms and Conditions.

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