July is here with an abundance of heat and humidity (and not all that much rain). The grove at is a bit cooler, but even with the rain we got this weekend it is still quite dry. There has not been much in the way of mushrooms to be seen so far, but we will see what the rest of the month brings.
This year has been a fine example of Nature not giving us what we want-the bloom is light, and so spread out over time that the term “peak” bloom has lost its meaning (for this season at least). There are many examples of the different stages of blooms found next to each other starting from fairly tightly unopened flower buds all the way to completely spent blooms. Last year’s leftover blooms (dark brown husks) can currently be seen near this year’s many stages of blooms. Even so, this weekend is a great time to visit Rhododendron State Park to view the plants in flower.
I have heard a number of people asking if there will be more flowers later. There may be a few very late blooms, but generally the answer is no, there won’t be any more this year besides those that have already formed. Buds, both flower and leaf, are formed towards the end of the previous growing season-actually just about now for next year-the buds are almost fully formed by October for the next season. This is common among most plants that have adapted to cold seasons-it’s not just rhododendrons that do it.
I apologize for the washed out look that appears in some of this week’s pictures.It seems that even a new camera is not foolproof when it is not properly adjusted. Sooner or later I’ll sort it out…
This hot muggy weather has brought on the deer flies, and the mosquitoes were already here, so come prepared-they are thick this week.
Until next week,
Ted Lenk
Brilliant Idiot idea of the week: Would it be possible to propagate cuttings and sell them as a way to help fund the park? I would love to start a similar grove near where we live. I believe this particular stand has some serious hardiness in it. At least much more so than anything purchased from a commercial grower.