The Hellgrammite and Dobsonfly

    When fully grown the Dobsonfly is also sometimes know by the name Luciferfly.

   It starts its life as larvae living in streams, creeks, and rivers.                            At this stage of its life it's known as a Hellgrammite.                                       Once its starts maturing it will come out of the water and grow wings as an adult. This is when it's referred to as a Dobsonfly.

                                The males have very large mandible jaws that look very fierce.

  While the females have much smaller mandibles.

The bite from a female can be more painful than the male and will sometimes bite if felt threatened. 

Backwoods Adventures on the East Fork of the Obey River

Here's a short video of last weeks adventure on the Obey River.  

Backwoods Adventures at Bronco Overlook

Backwoods Adventures

Appalachia is My Name,

Photos of my Appalachian Ancestors, myself and places I've roamed in the Appalachian Mountains. 

music by: Cathead77

The Elusive Morel Mushroom

  Here on the Cumberland Plateau the Morel mushrooms are sometimes referred to as  "Dryland Fish."

   Morels can appear overnight and are a gift of the early spring woods. I have heard all my life an old saying that says when Oak tree leaves are the size of mouse ears it's time to look for Morels.

    They can be very hard to spot even to the well trained eye! You have to really key in on what your looking for and it definitely gets a little easier with experience. I've had days when I've walked several miles and haven't found any at all and other days I feel as if I've hit the mother load!   Anyone who knows me knows this is my favorite time of year!

  Morels are often found around certain types of trees depending on what area your from. So I definitely recommend learning the different types of trees if you want to become a seasoned mushroom hunter. Here on the Plateau I like to watch under fruit trees, Tulip Popular ,Cedar, White Pines, Sycamore, Hickory, and Ash trees just to name afew.

  If your lucky enough to spot a Morel take note of what type of trees are nearby and the area because usually they will grow in the same general area year after year. 

   These mushrooms will not grow unless the soil and weather conditions are just right. A wet and warm Spring is generally a good sign of a great mushroom season. 

   Usually the first Morels of the season tend to be darker and found on the Southward or South Westward slopes because in early Spring the ground in those areas usually seem to warm up faster. Soon to follow you will start finding them in other areas as well. The Morels in the later part of the season tend to be more yellow, white, and grey. The Morel mushroom season is very short usually only lasting 3 to 4 weeks.

 Some mushrooms are very toxic and afew can be fatal ! So I recommend being 100% sure you know what your doing when gathering any wild mushroom.                                      Even with Morels there is a False Morel that is very toxic and to the untrained eye can be very misleading.       (So be very careful and learn how to tell the difference!!! "

NEVER eat any mushroom that you aren't 100% sure is safe!

                   ~Backwoods Adventures~                  

Backwoods Adventures at Blue Springs Cave

  I was honored to be invited to come explore the longest recorded cave in the state of Tennessee. 

 Blue Springs Cave is located on private property so we jumped upon the offer to let us come explore and get afew pictures of this one!

Let's take an Adventure !

We are excited and looking forward to another great summer here at Backwoods Adventures. Let's get out and explore!

February's Snow Moon

This year we had a special event take place in the night sky on Feb.10 ! We just had an amazing Full Moon called the Snow Moon but at the same time we had a Lunar Eclipse and also had a Comet passing by.  

  This months Full Moon was named the Snow Moon many years ago because this is the month we usually get our heaviest snow. 

  Some of the Native American tribes also referred to this Moon as the Hunger Moon because it was a very hard month for the Native Americans due to the fact hunting for game becomes difficult  because of heavy snowfall that is often on the ground.