As I mentioned in my last “Viral Post” two weeks ago, my local mountain laurels were in bloom, which signals to me that very likely they are in bloom elsewhere in the Poconos.

This includes several areas of nearby Hickory Run State Park, where there are areas where the laurels dominate the landscape.  In June the forest there is awash in pinkish-white blossoms as far as the eye can see. I have written about this before.

This is for me, a favorite time of year for photography. The blooming of the laurels is closely followed by the flowering of the closely related rhododendron which is also widespread in that location. In some years they bloom together which is particularly striking.

So, with the camera bag and a tripod on my back, I hiked up the quiet trail where I know from past dealings the display will tend to be lovely.

Unfortunately, perhaps symbolically for this year, this was not to be. For the first time, most of the mountain laurel had not flowered, and those that did had spotty blossoms.

Moreover, I found that the rhododendron was in the same state. I counted literally 4 to 5 flower buds on the whole trail where there would’ve been literally hundreds of thousands.

Not sure why this has happened. Perhaps the unnaturally cool spring we experienced is responsible.

There were blossoms elsewhere in the park, near to the brand-new park headquarters, but these were underwhelming and located on the border of newly cleared land, where the light was harsh and unflattering.

So a small event that I look forward to each year as once again failed to happen.

Whats next?

I’m thinking Murder Hornets