The light flannel shirt felt very comfortable in the low fifty-degree temperatures. The morning walk would be a nice venture. I spent approximately four hours on this jaunt. However, by mid-morning I was a little warm, but it was still tolerable.
The very first thing upon exiting the jeep was a nature call. I wish I wasn’t like that, but it is what it is!
The birds were singing and I was happy to hear very little sounds of mankind. That is rare in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.
I would see several doe with fawns during the morning. One poorly antlered buck was spotted at the woodland edge bordering a reclaimed strip. The stalk was on and I managed to move in to the forty yard range before he bounded away.
After I saw the buck leave the area I went over the embankment to a small tributary. Skunk cabbage was everywhere. I walked this bottomland for about 350-400 feet. I saw hundreds and hundreds of Skunk Cabbage plants. What makes this sighting interesting was the fact the stalks were completely void of the softball-size seed pods. BEARS! I have seen this a few times where the bear eat all the seed pods.
Lots of butterfly activity was observed during the warmer time afield. Monarchs were fluttering about along with their mimic known as the Viceroy. Monarchs have a poison that is unappealing to birds upon eating one. the Viceroy looks very much like the Monarch. The Viceroy has the distinctive black line along the wing.
Larry A. Smail's Blog 
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