With the startling news that Morel Mushrooms were already up in the area (a neighbor down the road found 49 this morning), we set out expectantly on a mushroom expedition. This is way early for Morels, but spring has come several weeks early this year.

And we found some interesting items, just no mushrooms. I like to think of the hollow as nearly pristine, but there are certainly signs of humans here and there. Today I found an object in the woods that the veteran mechanic that was mushroom hunting with me identified as the coil for an old one-cylinder engine, probably dating from the 1920s. It was up a distance on the side of the hill. Someone must have thrown it for it to get there.

We also stumbled upon the first two terrapins, or box turtles, I’ve seen out this year. One was still muddy from digging itself out of its winter burrow.