Apr 23, 2019
Trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) is a low-growing, creeping shrub in the heath family. Sometimes also referred to as mayflower and ground laurel, this leathery-looking evergreen has a great fondness for the shady, acidic soil of mature oak-hickory forests, where it grows in close association with eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens) and partridgeberry (Mitchella repens). In early spring, trailing arbutus sends out clusters of fragrant, pink to white flowers on recumbent branches; finding these diminutive beauties often requires picking through the leaf litter on the forest floor. The photos above were taken along Glade Run Trail in Coopers Rock State Forest.
