Alone in the Woods

Have you been on a nice long walk in the woods lately?  I have.  Yesterday I spent the morning walking the trails at our Lillibridge Property.  My original intent to hiking the trails was to look for mushrooms for our Mushroom Walk & ID on Saturday, August 20, 2011.  As I wandered Griffin Way, Sally’s Alley, and part of the Loop, I discovered small mushrooms along the trail.  I hope that they will be bigger by Saturday.  However, while I was walking I saw (and heard) more than just mushrooms.  I enjoy walking by myself because I can experience much more of nature than I would with a group.  Mainly because it is a lot quieter.  On this morning’s walk, I heard two turkeys talking back and forth.  The forest was filled with their conversation and not mine.  I was also fortunate to stumble upon a fawn eating on the Pinkster trail.  We both noticed each other at the same time and froze.  The fawn watched me for about 10 seconds before walking about 10 feet farther down the trail.  After awhile the fawn walked into the woods.  As I approached the spot where it entered into the woods, I heard it snort and take off running.  I would have loved to get a picture but I had to settle for a nice picture of the pavilion and the valley.  What really sparked my interest was that the fawn still had spots even though it was getting close to full-grown adult size.  I have seen many young deer still with spots and I do not remember seeing so many this late in the summer.  After some research online, I learned that most do not lose their spots until they start to grow in their winter coat, at which time they lose their spots and reddish brown color.  The coat starts to turn to a gray color for the winter.