Birdhouse Forest – South Hero, Vermont - Atlas Obscura
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Birdhouse Forest

South Hero, Vermont

Driftwood dinosaurs lurk within trees covered in a rainbow array of avian abodes.  

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Colorful birdhouses fill the woods. Sawyer Sutton (used with permission)
Colorful birdhouses fill the woods. Sawyer Sutton (used with permission)
Birdhouses speckle the forest. Sawyer Sutton (used with permission)
Swamp dinosaurs. troink (Atlas Obscura User)
The birdhouses. Sawyer Sutton (used with permission)
Colorful birdhouses. troink (Atlas Obscura User)
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This isn’t your ordinary stretch of swamp. Wooden dinosaurs lurk within the mucky landscape, hidden within trees dotted with hundreds multi-colored birdhouses.

The whimsical birdhouses, which essentially form a vibrant neighborhood of homes for tree swallows, actually have a practical purpose. The marshland is prime breeding ground for mosquitoes, which just so happen to be a tasty part of a tree swallow’s meal plan.

The owner of the land originally put up a couple dozen birdhouses within his property along White’s Beach in Vermont. But after he realized each one was full, he continued adding more and more, hoping the birds would keep the bloodsucking bugs at bay.

Now more than 400 tiny wooden homes fill the wood, which people have dubbed the Birdhouse Forest. Thanks to the hundreds of birds that have made their homes in the birdhouses, the swamp seems to have far fewer pesky mosquitoes than it otherwise would have.

And the dinosaurs? Well, those aren’t as practical. The birdhouse builder is a keen woodworker and has taken to installing his various creations within the landscape.

Know Before You Go

Parking requires permit between Memorial day and 30th of September (don't know where and how to obtain permits)

The birdhouse forrest is private property according to signs, so no entry for photo ops, only view from the road. 

mosquitoes dinosaurs intriguing environs birds ecosystems animals
Nearby
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