the foothills [Lore] Whitetail Woods

[Bellosh]

The Whitetail Woods - Where the Deer Frolic

 

 

Not all forests in Equestria are teeming with scary monsters and all-natural weather. To the south of Canterlot, the Whitetail Wood stands as a placid contrast to the forbidding Everfree Forest off to the west. As no shadow lies on the Whitetail, ponies and other folk are free to explore and use the forest as they feel without constantly worrying what lies beyond the next tree or bush.

 

The Whitetail Wood is perhaps the most cherished example of a temperate deciduous forest within the realm. Each autumn, leaves all throughout the area change color from green to vibrant shades of yellow, orange, and red. When the time for Winter Set-up draws nigh, a huge swath of the woodland is cleared of leaves through the annual Running of the Leaves, one of Equestria’s most prominent hoof races.

 

Not too many ponies live in the Whitetail Wood; those who do tend to do so to either to make a living off sap harvesting or seasonally reside in cabins to get much-needed breaks from everyday life. These ponies get to share the expansive forest with such critters as adorable chipmunks and temperamental bears; thankfully, the predators here are far easier to mollify than the ogres who reside in the Everfree. Anypony who wishes to bask in the wonder of this ecosystem is also free to camp in the woods as they please, just as long as they don’t upset the forest habitat in any way.

 

Perhaps the best-known permanent residents of the Whitetail Wood however are its mysterious herds of deer. A nomadic and secretive lot who regard the natural order of nature in the highest esteem, the Whitetail Deer mostly shun technology and tend to flee away from ponies who blunder too closely to their grazing ground. Yet it is quite possible for somepony to earn the trust of the woodland herds by demonstrating respect for the forest; those who do can get the rare privilege of witnessing precisely how much love and care the naturalistic deer give to their home. Without the Whitetail Deer, it may have been very possible that the entire region could have transformed into the eastern annex of the Everfree Forest long ago....

~Hitchhiker's Guide to Equestria