I guess it's an eastern plant. The forests that I hike in (in Northwest Jersey) are dank and dark. Oaks, maples, hemlocks and pines. Dark green leaves, dark brown soil, and in the case of the hemlocks, chocolate brown bark. Mountain laurel proliferates; like the hemlock, it has dark bark and dark green leaves. (Only a trail maintainer could call it a pesky weed! It will send runners underground, that sprout in the treadway of the trail.) Once a year, for about two weeks, the miracle happens. It's usually the end of May, but many things are two weeks behind schedule, due to the weather. The mountain laurel blooms. They grow anywhere from four to eight feet tall. They are a major undergrowth in many forests in the east. And when they bloom, the deep, dark forests become suddenly bright. It depends where you look. Along my trail, there is a solid carpet of dark leaves and large white flowers. Higher on the ridge, the pink mountain laurel proliferates. Not as solid a carpet, nor are the flowers as large. Other places nearby, the undergrowth is not nearly as solid. Yet, you are still assaulted by the occasional group of bright laurels in an otherwise dark forest. Suddenly, after about two weeks, the flowers die off, and the forest is returned to the dark greens and browns. It is spectacular when it happens. ~ Paul (AHikingDude@aol.com) ~ © Photographs(a collage) by Paul (AHikingDude@aol.com) © June 12, 2003 Writers' Corner Index