Native Species

Read the "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight," the "Invasives in Your Woodland," the MD-DE Logger of the Year, and take the Brain Tickler challenge.

Read our "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight" and "Invasives in Your Woodland," and take the Brain Tickler challenge. There's also an introduction to two new members of the Woodland Stewardship Education program team, and an announcement about the fall 2018 Maryland Woodland Stewards workshop.

Read the "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight" and "Invasives in Your Woodland," a new invasive insect you should know called Spotted Lanternfly, and the Brain Tickler challenge.

Learn about the "blue paint law" that will make marking your woodland boundaries less time-consuming. There's news about two recent awards for the Woodland Stewardship Education program, and information about the native Southern Pine Beetle. Our regular features include the "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight," "Invasives in Your Woodland," plus the events calendar, the Brain Tickler challenge, and the News and Notes section.

Maryland is home to four members of the weasel family: mink, river otters, long-tailed weasels, and fishers. In the state, fishers are second only in size to river otters, but they occupy a distinctly different ecological niche. Of these four species, the fisher is perhaps the most elusive, due in part to its mostly nocturnal behavior, but once you have seen one, you won’t confuse it with another species.

Once you’ve heard the call of the Chuck-will’s-widow, chances are you won’t easily forget it. This vocal bird has been observed, or heard, throughout Maryland except for in Carroll County.

Registration is now open for two online courses offered by University of Maryland Extension's Woodland Stewardship Education program! Also, learn about that returning pest, the gypsy moth, and how you can use handheld GPS in your woodlands. Our regular features include the "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight," "Invasives in Your Woodland," plus the events calendar, the Brain Tickler challenge, and the News and Notes section.

News and Notes items for the Spring 2021 issue of Branching Out

Maryland is home to two members of the skunk family. The striped skunk is found throughout the state. The striped skunk is actually a very successful species, with a range that occupies a large portion of North America. While the mammals have adapted to a wide range of environments, they prefer habitat with a variety of woodlands and open fields, and with a water supply within 2 miles of their home range.

The sharp-shinned hawk is unlike many of the raptors that make a home in Maryland. Some migrate to warmer habitats; others will remain year round. The sharp-shinned hawk, apparently, does both.