Jessica Hunt

6 days ago | nhpr.org | Dave Anderson |Chris Martin |Jessica Hunt

Have you ever walked or paddled along a riverbank, and noticed a towering tree with deeply-furrowed gray bark and huge bright green leaves that flutter in the breeze like butterfly wings? If so, you’ve probably met the Eastern Cottonwood. The poplars are a few of New England’s amazing tree pioneers. Cottonwoods, along with related big-toothed and trembling Aspens, aren’t always given much respect, yet they are unsurpassed at what they do.

2 weeks ago | nhpr.org | Dave Anderson |Chris Martin |Jessica Hunt

If you’re a new transplant to New Hampshire, you might not have noticed our other "foliage season.” Each spring, tiny tree flowers and swelling buds, ready to burst, paint a subtle wash of early pastel color across our hillsides and wetlands. Colorful twigs are not as exuberant as flower blossoms. We don't get bright March cherry blossoms like Washington, D.C. Maybe we try to compare our northern surroundings to warmer climes too soon and feel inadequate.

2 months ago | wbur.org | Chris Martin |Dave Anderson |Jessica Hunt

New Hampshire has two species of grouse. You’re probably familiar with the ruffed grouse; it lives in woodlands throughout the state. But there’s another grouse found in the Granite State that few people have ever seen. “Too bad the spruce grouse is so little known, because it’s got to be the most audacious of the gallinaceous,” says Dave Anderson, co-host of NHPR’s Something Wild. Gallinaceous refers to chicken-like birds, including both grouse and wild turkey.

Nov 29, 2024 | nhpr.org | Chris Martin |Dave Anderson |Jessica Hunt

“As a birder, when I see a beaver lodge, I know I might also get to see a kingfisher on the watery edge of the pond, or maybe a bittern lurking in the cattails,” says Chris Martin of New Hampshire Audubon. “Beaver dams create an entire ecosystem that allows birds, insects and other animals to flourish.”That’s why beavers are a keystone species — their presence improves habitat. People generally like beavers, but they can be hard to appreciate if your basement or yard is being flooded by a beaver.

Oct 15, 2024 | nhpr.org | Jessica Hunt

Season 3 of Check This Out will air Saturdays at 3 p.m. beginning October 26 and will run through December 28 on NHPR and NHPR.org. Subscribe to the podcast here!Join author and host, Rachel Barenbaum, as she delves into the worlds of emerging authors from all walks of life, unveiling their latest works and the unique journeys that shape their stories.