There’s a popular joke about Pennsylvania, and it goes something like this: Pennsylvania is Pittsburgh at one end, Philadelphia at the other, and Arkansas in between. Some Pennsylvanians find that joke funny, and others find it offensive. I’m sure Arkansans would have a thing or two to say about it as well. But there is a certain undeniablility to the wisecrack’s observation that my home state is wildly dissimilar when comparing its east and west border regions to its expansive central “T zone.” Economically, politically, geographically, philisophically. . . Pennsylvania has real identity issues.
I live in the central area of the Keystone State. If you were to throw a dart right at the bullseye of a PA map, you’d hit my back yard. It’s an area where I often feel out of step for a variety of reasons, but I’ve lived here for every one of my 60 years, and it’s my home. I carry the classic Pennsylvania pedigree: English, Irish, Scottish, and German. Characteristically, we Pennsylvanians–urban are rural– are a study, working class people. We’re also woodsy.
Something all Pennsylvanians share–aside from calling our state by its initials–is proximity to forests. Every region cares for a designated state forest, and those woodlands are where we hike, camp, watch birds, enjoy certain sports, share picnics, ride horses and mountain bikes–you name it!
I walk often, and my walking paths lead me and my cell phone through some lovely wooded areas where I can take photos. Since today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt is “woodsy,” I thought I’d share some of them in a post.
pinecone 
acorn 
oak leaf
Queen Anne’s lace 
goldenrod 
thistle
fungus growing on a tree trunk
wild mushroom 
shaggy cap mushroom
Friendly stone men like this one pop up mysteriously in the woods along roads where I live. They are beloved by the locals! 
How beautiful is this creek running through the woods?
This lady was taking a walk in the woods near me. 
Circle of life: In the spring, this was a dead deer along the road. Throughout the summer, I watched the other forest creatures reduce the carcass to a pile of bones. 
Recently, I was lucky enough to see a bobcat strolling through the woods. He posed, but I wasn’t near enough to get a really clear photo. 
scarlet tanager
I’m ending this post with a selection of photos taken at one of my favorite woodsy places in the world: at my family’s camp in the heart of a Pennsylvania forest. The memories made here will last a lifetime.
We’ve made only a few visits to camp during the crazy summer of 2020, but the forest was still beautiful. 
My brother’s yellow lab is at home in the woods. 
wild dogwood
In Pennsylvania, we call these mountain pies.
newt 
wildflower 
ferns 
on our camp road 
wild daisy 
at camp in the woods
box turtle
The beauty of Pennsylvania’s forests stretches from border to border and offers its residents some much needed opportunities to decompress. When you visit, pack some bug spray, watch out for poison ivy, and beware the snakes. But I promise your soul will thank you for the peace and solitude.
Prose and Poesy 
Nice article. Love the forest in PA.
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