Native Species

Where Maryland’s topography varies enough so that gentle or steep banks rise above the rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, and estuaries, and where trees are found along the water’s edge, you may find one of the state’s most fascinating birds: the belted kingfisher. A year-round resident, this colorful hunter lives throughout Maryland.

Learn how Marylanders view forestry and its impact on the state's economy. Our regular features include profiles of the North American porcupine and mile-a-minute.

it comes as a surprise to many that Maryland is home to a second species of fox. However, the gray fox is indeed native to the state and the region, and can be found throughout most of North America.

In our Winter 2019 issue, read our "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight," the "Invasives in Your Woodland" feature, what the 2018 Farm Bill offers for woodland property owners, and how a native fungus that may help control tree-of-heaven.

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.

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