LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Blooming in the Woods


Our woods are full of Mountain Laurel.  Some years they are fuller and more beautiful than other years, but they are always welcome.  Mountain Laurel, kalmia latifolia, grows wild all along the eastern states.  It is the state flower for Connecticut and Pennsylvania.



Mountain Laurel in our front yard



The bear looks out at the laurel




 This one is visible from our guest bedroom window


Our community has restrictions on cutting down Mountain Laurel.  The wood has become very valuable as more and more companies build custom railings and fences from the branches.


This photo is from the Internet, but plenty of homes in our community have laurel railing


The Mountain Laurel is in the same family as the blueberry.  But it bears no fruit.  The flowers are enough for me.


6 comments:

Cheryl said...

I love the bear.....I was reading your post before looking at the images and thought at first that you meant a real bear.

Mountain laurel is very pretty.

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

Oh, my, I love the beautiful photos of the mountain laurel. You are so fortunate to have these lovely flowers nearby. I love the bear, too.

Carolina Linthead said...

Glad to see the bear again! I love the laurel blossoms...they are so lacy...like fine needlework done by past generations. I did not know about the decorative use. *sigh* Thank you for sharing! Another friend traveled through your neck of the woods recently and also shared his pictures, as did a friend from just over the mountains in Tenn. My favorite Catawba Rhododendron will be blooming soon, I guess. We often drove up to Craggy Gardens to see them.

NanaNor's said...

Hi, What a beautiful plant/tree. I'm not familiar with it, but I haven't spent much time in your area. Have a wonderful evening.
Hugs,
Noreen

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Cheryl - We do have real bears crossing the property now and then.

Linthead - Yes, we love the rhododendron, especially at Craggy.

Busy Bee Suz said...

It is just lovely!