#rhododendron maximum

[aisling-saoirse]

Rhododendron and Eastern Hemlock at High Point State Park, New Jersey - January 30th 2025

[vandaliatraveler]

Above are a few photos from a late afternoon hike in the Cheat River Canyon, just after a line of heavy thunderstorms moved through the area.  The storms were still brewing at the southern end of the canyon near Albright when I reached the overlook area. Great rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) is starting to bloom in the canyon, but the real show is probably a week away. Milkweed is also coming on strong, with three varieties growing in the open fields and clearings around the canyon - poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata), common milkweed (A. syriaca), and butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa).  I once heard milkweed described as a “mega-supermarket for insects”. It’s true. If you want a good starter course on the insects native to your region, then cozy up to the nearest milkweed plant in bloom with an insect field guide in hand.

From top: great rhododendron, also known as great laurel and rosebay rhododendron; American black elderberry, also known a American black elder (Sambucus canadensis), whose purple-blue berries will soon be used by locals to make wine, jam, jellies, and pies; common milkweed, which draws insects, including the banded longhorn beetle (Typocerus velutinus), in droves; butterfly milkweed, also known as butterfly weed; poke milkweed; eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens), whose edible berries and leaves are used to flavor everything from tea to ice cream; and the adorable shinleaf (Pyrola elliptica), also known as waxflower, a shade-tolerant perennial of moist woods.

[howlmountain]

 More of the rhododendron flowers

[cedar-glade]

Even though there are plenty of other Rhododendron species out there to talk about within’ Ohio’s five common species, this is perhaps the most common and the latest blooming. I find these blooming mostly in mid June here in Ohio in much of the same habitat that you will find other species in. 

Rhododendron maximum, or the Great Laurel, isn’t just the most wide spread here in Ohio, its found commonly in every Appalachian State that has Mountainous corridors with some form of acidity; with this said, you can find these in ravine systems along these mountain ecosystems as well. Although it can be found on ridge tops, it prefers decent shade and fulfills it’s rule as an understory plant well by forming dense thickets. The few evergreen species of Rhododendrons in this state don’t have the same issues as their deciduous cousins with browsing issues. The entire plant is toxic and in some cases lethally so. Poison aside this plant does attract a large quantity of visitors: Hummingbirds, swallowtails, moths, and a large amount of bees frequent this plant. 

[spatheandspadix]

A view from Cooper’s Rock, greenbriar in Fall color, and the rock city at Cooper’s Rock State Forest

[geopsych]

The rhododendron along the river had just begun blooming when I visited the other day. I had hoped to see it in glorious bloom, but this was one of the only ones that had opened. 

[aisling-saoirse]

Rhododendron under Cedar Canopy, NJ - January 30th 2025

[aisling-saoirse]

Flooded Path in Rhododendron Hell, PA - April 7th 2024