Rhododendrons and Such

Yesterday, Joan had the most luscious rhododendron on her table.

 She also had a rock star squirrel on her deck. I had a hard time getting his picture -- see his tail? From the front, it looked even crazier, really "punked up," as they say.

 Today I went for a long walk. New things are always blooming. Mother has some particularly lovely honeysuckle.

 Vibrant orange honeysuckle is blooming in the woods too. It's very large. Adam says this is called "trumpet honeysuckle." After 22 years of marriage, a man can still surprise you with the odd pieces of knowledge he carries in his head.

 Here's a close-up of them. What colors! If they weren't up at tree-level, I'd think they were tiger lilies :)

 From honeysuckle, we move on to azaleas, which are nearly spent here. You can see the similarity of structure, between the two. Azaleas have rounder petals and are more full.

 And this. Azalea? Rhododendron? The leaves indicate a rhodie, but I'm not sure.

 Rhododendrons, especially the cultivated ones you pay money for and put in your yard, look a lot like super-sized azaleas. Mother's rhododendron below looks very similar to the one on Joan's table.

 Before it opens:

 Doesn't this clay bird house look snug among the blooms? If I were a bird, I'd live here!

 The Guard Rabbit takes his job in the flower bed very seriously.

 Just down the lane are more stunning rhododendrons in a friend's yard. This photo doesn't do justice to their deep red hue.

 The actual flower has not a tint of pink. I wish my camera behaved better.

 And here I found the gorgeous lavender/pink one again! It must be a favorite.

That's your tour of the rhododendrons. In our area, the woods are loaded with wild ones and piles of mountain laurel too.