The mountain laurels are starting to bloom everywhere.
In the woods, along the creek banks and roadsides.
The buds are very pink until the flower opens, then the longer it stays open, the whiter it seems to become.
The dark shiny leaves make a beautiful contrast.
I remember them used as decoration at my wedding shower waaayy back in '73.
According to answers.com, its leaves were formerly used as a remedy for skin diseases, and spoons were made from the hard wood. It is the state flower of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, closely related to the rhododendron and native to East North America.
