Down the Not A Driveway, over and under the Hurricane Helene deadfalls, following the dog pack, lies an acre of wild azaleas, plus wild blueberries.
Blondie, Honeybun, Sky, River, over the deadfall into the wild azaleas
Some of these Rhododendron canescens are already blooming. Many more are just budding.
Wild azaleas, pine deadfall, and dog on Not A Driveway
Wild azaleas and loblolly pine cones
Wild azalea beneath oak deadfall
Closeup wild azalea beneath oak deadfall
“Here Spring was already busy about them: fronds pierced moss and mould,
… small flowers were opening in the turf, birds were
singing. Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate kept still a dishevelled dryad loveliness.”
—Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit, The Two Towers, JRR Tolkien
-jsq