Watching a Forest for a Season

 Living in a Forest

I consider myself somewhat of an outdoorsman.  I love being out in nature and experiencing the weather, the flora and the fauna as it goes about its business. For the first time in my life, I have spent the turning of the seasons, living inside a forest. Watching it change and come to life as the days grew longer and then shorter again. 

We arrived at the foot of Bob's Hill, part of Catoctin Mountain, at the end of March. Spring was getting underway, but still had some way to go.  The day we arrived a sleet that turned into a snow squall blew over the mountain and dropped the first flakes on my shoulders that I had avoided the whole of the winter.  

Site 15

We settled into Site 15. It was close to perfect.  The site was plenty big enough for the coach, and level.. There was a nice running stream named Muddy Run right behind the site that Ginger would use to cool herself off later in the season.  The bathhouse was just down the path and we really didn't have any close neighbors. 

Spring

The forest was still mostly asleep when we arrived.  We were at the base of a mountain and Spring was underway, but still coming on.  You could easily see through the whole campsite at this time, since the undergrowth hadn't started growing yet.  

Easy to see through the trees

Mayapple

Daffodils

The stream was running fast and full. Some of the trees were starting to bud and a few of the flowering type were sending out their blooms.  The forest felt like it was slowly waking up.

Summer

As the trees began to leaf out and the undergrowth came out, the campground started to close in.  Where we used to be able to see easily across the campground, was now just a wall of trees.  You had to actually walk around the camp to see all the sites and campers. 

Ferns

Ginger cooling in Little Hunting Creek

The stream slowed to a little more than a trickle, but was present the whole summer. 

With the warm weather, came the cicadas. Brood X was hatching and early on, we saw many signs of them coming out. Small holes in the ground under the leaves and one or two here and there.  This trickle soon became a torrent and the cute bugs with bulging red eyes took over the forest. Their cacophony filled the hillside and they were everywhere.  We enjoyed them being around.  They were harmless and fun to play with.. 

Cicada Love

Drawn to the only light source in the forest

I named this one Clyde

Lisa would pick up the ones that came dive bombing into camp and release them on a tree.  We would spend the next several minutes watching it climb to the top.  

Wildlife

From day one we started seeing several deer that lived on the hillside and routinely moved from up the hill through the camp to the open grass down below.  There were also several female turkeys that would walk through camp. Later their brood could be spotted moving from one campsite to the next, looking for bugs and scraps as they followed their mothers up the hill. The snakes and bears also came out as the season changed.  We started seeing different snakes. Garter and Black snakes at first. Then copperheads and rattlers.  I had a copperhead slither into my camp one day as Ginger and I were sitting outside enjoying a lazy afternoon.

Rattle Snake

Copperhead

Garter

On another day, Ginger and I were outside and i spotted a bear moving along the creek on the hillside above our camp.  It crossed the creek and passed about 100 feet away. When Ginger saw it, she started barking and scared it up the hillside.  It was an exciting experience.

I became proficient at picking up snakes with the tools the ranger game me and releasing them across the creek and up the hill.  

The forest came alive with the warm, summer weather.  

Relaxing by the fire

Our nomad garden

A Break From the Forest, Then Fall

In July, we left the Manor and went exploring in the general area, but we came back in late September and got to experience the forest changing from high summer to fall.

When we left, the wine berries were just getting ripe.  We had been waiting for them to get ready for several weeks. They are so good.  

Wine Berries

As the year moved on, the leaves started turning and falling and covered the forest floor with another carpet of leaves that would eventually add to the duff that helps nourish the plants and trees.

Fall arrives

The fall also brought out another insect. This one not as cute as the cicadas.  The dreaded stink bug.  These MF'ers got everywhere in their quest to avoid the colder weather. They found their way into our trailer and found all the places to hide.  Several months later, we are still finding their hiding places and throwing them out into the cold.  

The days became shorter and colder and when November rolled around, it was time to go.

The Circle of the Year

When we pulled out of site 15 in early November, Fall was in full swing and the forest was preparing to go back to sleep for the winter.  It was a very nice experience to see the forest go through its annual changes and to be sitting in the middle of it as it happened.  Everyone should spend a year and a day or some long part of a year inside a forest.  Just to see how it lives.  

Our flag display

Black Squirrel