Exploring the "back woods"

I spent a little time exploring our acre of woods behind our house this week.  I was checking to see if I could find any morel mushrooms but I think it is to early.  Perhaps this week I will have more luck.  Anyway, I found many interesting things while exploring so I thought I would do a little show-and-tell.  This creepy doll head was found face down in the dirt.  I put it on the stick to get a better photo -- but I think it looks like it is from a horror movie.  I am curious about how old it is and what happened to the little girl who owned it.

Next, I spotted some interesting plants.  This is a Jack-In-The-Pulpit...

some very fuzzy fern fiddleheads...

a marsh marigold...

and a mystery item.  I have no clue what this is.  Charlie thinks it is a young mushroom.  I'm not even going to guess, I'm just going to keep watching it to see what it does.

I also found this cobalt blue glass jar in the back.  The lid is corroded and falling apart.  These old items scattered about make me want to get a metal detector and see what I can find back there.  We live atop a ridge of sand about 50 miles long.  I've been told that the Native Americans would have had a road along this ridge ages ago.  Often loggers would have used these same roads in their pursuits as well.  I can really feel the history of that woods.  Particularly when I come upon this tree...

This is an old oak tree.  It's limbs are larger that most trees.  I know it is in rough shape, but it is still alive -- still growing.  Can you even imagine the number of lightning storms it has survived?
Anyway, as you can see, Sassy came with me to explore.  She followed me around fairly closely.  She is not an outdoors cat and a strong breeze can freak her out.  Other cats scare her.  Pretty much everything scares her.  So to have her come back this far with me is impressive.