-
Recent Posts
-
Join 1,218 other subscribers
Meta
12.18.2022 Silent Sunday-Resting on my Mountain Laurels
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged intimate landscape, Kalmia latifolia, Massachusetts, mountain laurel, native flowers, native plant, native wildflower, New England, North Quabbin, Petersham, Quabbin, western massachusetts, Wildflowers. Bookmark the permalink.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
That’s a good play on words in your title. I’m more familiar with Laurel and Hardy than with the mountain laurel; I grew up watching the former on television but have seen the latter only once, at the Garden in the Woods in Framingham in 2018.
LikeLiked by 1 person
At this point in my life, I may have seen both equally. As a child I saw Stan and Oliver most weekends and now the same is true for the shrub in June.
LikeLike
I still find it strange that mountain laurel isn’t a laurel, and Texas mountain laurel is neither a mountain laurel nor a laurel. It seems laurel is hardy enough to have its meaning spread.
LikeLike
Aw, ’tis a breath of June! Beautiful as snow. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
2019 was a great year for them. 2022 not so bad either but the interim was a disappointment. Makes the on years that more special. Thanks, Eliza!
LikeLike
I don’t remember noticing the buds of these in the past. The group of three behind the flowers on the right side look like tiny dim sum. The open flowers are beautiful; I think I remember that they open in some kind of unique way. I’ll have to look for your other posts and see if you mentioned it in one of those.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Apparently the term for the process is explosive pollination. Our cedar trees do the same thing. Cold weather triggers the explosions, and the air can be so thick with cedar pollen it looks like smoke. That’s the point at which human cursing begins.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks for the link. I have mentioned the pollination strategy in the past but not by this name. It’s a new one to me but apt. As you can tell in the picture, these are freshly opened and had not been visited by a pollinator yet. The stamens are held under pressure and when sprung deposit pollen on the visitor’s back and mixes its pollen with that being transported from another flower. Grass pink orchids do much the same but each flower can only spring once where this laurel has multiple opportunities. We have a cedar in our yard that does what yours do.
The buds look to me like little sugary confections. I’ve led a life of deprivation apparently, never having dim sum. I Googled it and agree on the similar appearance.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Fun title, my friend, and a cheerful reminder of spring.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Jet! I guess my age is showing as I am eager for us to hop over winter and into Spring and we haven’t even reached the solstice. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great title for a fantastic photo you pulled from your archive treasure, Steve!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Peter.
LikeLike
How wonderful to be able to rest on one’s laurels–Mountain or otherwise!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Tanja. It is nice to have something of value in the archives.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stunning photograph of really beautiful flowers!
We first encountered the Mountain Laurel while camping in West Virginia and that became our favorite spot, mostly due to the abundance of so many wildflowers around the tent.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Wally.
Mountain Laurels do tend to develop large spread in the wooded areas around here. As you can see here this is very populous and typical of many parts of the area in North Quabbin I made this image. One tends to go a little wild with all the possible compositions and it’s a challenge to find just the right one.
LikeLike
I love mountain laurel but it’s a species I seem to struggle with as far as creating photos. I do it each year but I’m not sure if I’ve shared many yet. One day. Until then I’m very pleased to view yours. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
It can be a challenge, especially when the flowers are numerous and thick as this grouping was. I’ve made a few images over the years inside them surrounded by bushes but that doesn’t always work out. Thanks, Todd!
LikeLike
For an interesting diversion, look up images of Texas Mountain Laurel – totally different tree. Great photos, thanks!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Indeed. Very different and with some spectacular flowers. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person