The Tight Pink Buds of Mountain Laurel

It was Memorial Day, and the day dawned sunny and warmer, FINALLY. So like everybody else, we rushed outside to enjoy the better weather, after what was otherwise the coldest, rainiest Memorial Day weekend I can remember.

We went to a hiking spot we know in Moshannon State Forest, above Black Moshannon, walked in, and set our chairs up right in the middle of a green path that goes up the hill. It is not a marked trail and we really didn't expect to see anybody at all.

However, we were nearly mowed over by a family out walking. Three kids and a dog, moving at quite a pace, followed by their parents, everyone looking hot and tired. So we moved our chairs off the path and off into a sheltered space further away from the trail.

Which was a good thing, as we could have been trampled by the horses, motor bike, and additional hikers who came through later! So much for getting some solitude off the beaten path in the woods, at least on a holiday!

The really happy news, though, is that in addition to it being a real peach of a day, the mountain laurel - Kalmia latifolia - is now coming into bloom. It is Pennsylvania's state flower. Here is a photo of one of the bushes, and you can see the tight pink buds getting ready. In a few weeks, it'll be quite a show!

The soundtrack song is from the album Trio, and here are Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt, singing Wildflowers.