The dogwoods are blooming in the Georgia Piedmont, reminding me of the woods of East Texas.
The splashes of white blossoms are fun, especially when the dogwoods have invaded a beech grove, where last year’s leaves, bronze and khaki-colored, are still holding on.
The forest is greening. Hickories and sweetgums are putting out leaves. In the coming weeks, 200-yard views through the forest will be cut to 20 feet.
The wild azaleas in genus Rhododendron are lovely. The most spectacular blooms were in a stand of Southern Pinxter azalea. I’d describe this plant as small trees, rather than a bush. The little trees we saw were about 12 feet tall and were in a creek bottom.
The showiest bloomer in the forest might be the black cherry. The biology textbook speaks of white flowers in drooping racemes, which doesn’t do the cherry justice. Imagine a flowering raccoon’s tail.