The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • Historic Yellow Springs

    Yellow Springs Village is a historic village in West Pikeland Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The community includes historic churches, established in the 1770s by German Reformed and Lutheran members. It has been a location for a boys’ school, the country school of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fiine Arts, a restaurant, an inn and many other uses. Today it is a haven for artists and hosts special events.

    The village was busy the day I visited, so I concentrated on the peripheral areas. The early Spring color was still in evidence. You can learn more here.

  • Happy Easter

    I will be taking a break this week to celebrate the holiday and regroup from a colder than average winter that largely kept me cooped up inside.

    In the meantime, enjoy some shots from Springtimes past.

    A view of the flower garden at Chenoa Farm Sanctuary.
    Blooming in Mercer County.
    Nay Aug Park in Scranton.

  • A Closer Look at the State Flower

    The mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is the state flower of Pennsylvania. It is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is native to the eastern United States. Its range stretches from southern Maine south to northern Florida, and west to Indiana and Louisiana. Mountain laurel is also the state flower of Connecticut. It inspired the name of the Laurel Highlands in southwestern Pennsylvania.

    Mountain laurel is an evergreen shrub growing 3–9 m (9.8–29.5 ft) tall. The leaves are 3–12 cm long and 1–4 cm wide. The flowers are hexagonal, sometimes appearing to be pentagonal, ranging from light pink to white, and occur in clusters. It blooms in May and June. All parts of the plant are poisonous, and the roots are fibrous and matted.

    Jenkins Arboretum in Chester County has several nice examples of the plant. Locally I have also seen some on Mt. Misery in Valley Forge National Historic Park. I spent some time at Jenkins recently taking film photos using shallow depth of field.

  • Wild Vosburg Neck and Around

    Vosburg Neck State Park has some lovely natural areas, in addition to the park facilities. Below are some more scenes from my visit. The birding was also very good here, and I had over 50 species during my trip here.

    This flock of Turkeys was an unexpected surprise.
    Spring wild flowers.
    Finally, some farms along Vosburg Road.

  • Color is Budding Out All Over

    Lancaster County on a lovely Spring day provides beautiful views of flowers and flowering trees. The tree buds in the local woodlands also create more color than one might expect.

    The local farms are also getting into the swing of things for the upcoming growing season.

  • Daffodil and Forsythia Dances

    Early Spring has sprung in my section of Pennsylvania. Here are some of the forsythia and daffodils on display in mid March in Chester County.

    Daffodils are a popular edition to the mailbox.
    This reminds me of the Spring version of the lamppost in Narnia for some reason.
    This is what a mature forsythia should look like, not forced into some meatball-like form like a boxwood,

  • This Feels Like One of the Most Remote State Parks

    Ryerson Station State Park is in Greene County in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, near the West Virginia border. It seems to sit off by itself down in that corner. It is near Moundsville, WV, a place I have been to, but that is a story for another day. The 1,164-acre park features the fanciest state park swimming pool I have ever seen, campground, hiking, fishing, picnicking, and winter activities.

    A lovely nearby home.
    And an interesting old barn.
    Here’s that swimming pool.

    Next we have an interesting feature – the remains of an old reservoir. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one quite like this. You can see where the hole was created in the dam to allow the stream to run again. The lake appears to have been fairly shallow.

    The hole in the dam.

  • Some Folks Love this Park

    Mt. Pisgah State Park lies in Bradford County not very far west of Towanda. The 1,302-acre park is along Mill Creek, at the base of Mt. Pisgah, with an elevation 2,260 feet. A dam on Mill Creek forms Stephen Foster Lake, named after the famous composer and onetime local resident. The 75-acre lake provides fishing, boating, and skating. The park is also well developed with a swimming pool and snack bar, playground and picnic facilities, and the usual hiking, hunting and winter sports activities.

    A nice chat
    The dam end of Stephen Foster lake.
    A demonstration garden, an atypical offering at a state park.
    Nice use of repurposed farm equipment and plants.
    More on the Stephen Foster theme.
    And not far from the park, we have this charming scene. They’re not your average bears (with bonus barn star).

  • Spring Has Sprung

    My recently untimely absence has been due to a short vacation and an adjustment to a new job situation. After a fairly mild winter, Spring is making an appearance here in eastern Chester County.

    Forsythia are some of the earliest flowering shrubs and are great in flower arrangements.
    I think almost everyone loves daffodils.
    Because you can’t have too many.
    The lovely magnolia.
    I believe this is also a magnolia variety.
    Early azaleas at Jenkins Arboretum.
    Winter is still hanging on at Jenkins …

  • Summer at Middle Creek

    I don’t make it to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster and Lebanon counties all that often during the Summer. Here are a few shots from around the property.

    A lovely tiger swallowtail decided to hang out.
    Geese can be found at Middle Creek almost any time of year.
    The corn is looking good.
    Farming is done at Middle Creek. The fields provide habitat and food for some species.
    Pennsylvania farm country in a nutshell.
    I never really noticed the hills around this area as much as on this trip.
    Much to do here other than wildlife viewing.
    A glamorous egret interloper with the geese.
    Purple wildflowers along this pond.
    Lots of wildflowers everywhere ….
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