Pennsylvania 5/20/2011- Bringing back my inner child

Me.....in the place where I grew up!!

This is what is left of the trail my siblings and I used as our stomping grounds growing up. It is a little overgrown, but it still felt like home.

Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides)
Other common names:  Moosewood
Family:  Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle)
Height:  3 to 10 ft. (shrub)
Blooms:  May to June
Leaf Type:   toothed
Bloom Size:  1 in. (typical)

Common Buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
Other common names:  Meadow Buttercup, Tall Buttercup
Family:  Ranunculaceae (Buttercup)
Height:  2 to 3 ft.
Blooms:  May to September
Leaf Type:   divided
Bloom Size:  1 in. (typical)

Some deer tracks found along the way!!

Despite finding several deer tracks I did not have the pleasure of spotting any deer on my backwoods hike.

Wild fungi growing out of a tree

Creek

The path was quite muddy in places.

 Along my hike today I came across many wildflowers. I also had the pleasure of birdwatching, seeing several robins a blue jay and a pair of woodpeckers (Red-bellied Woodpeckers, I believe).

I've spent 2 weeks at my parents home in Western Pennsylvania where I grew up. Today, I went for a short stroll through the woods behind my parents home.......a place that holds several memories for me. Being home was the perfect place to help my soul heal from the heartbreak I feel from the loss of my grandfather recently. For the first time in a long time I knew my life was headed in the direction it was meant to go. Nature has given me the solace I've been searching for.