The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Snails, fish, insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds and/or flowers. All are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located.
The wild rhododendrons are blooming right on schedule. This is the week of the Rhody Festival in my little town of Port Townsend, WA (here on the NE corner of the Olympic Peninsula).
Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum)
It is interesting how many local festivals are associated with natural events such as the blooming of a flower or the ripening of a fruit. Around the country, there are strawberry festivals, lilac festivals, tulip festivals, lavender festivals, and, even, garlic festivals. With festivals being scheduled a year or more in advance, climate change is likely to cause havoc with unpredictable timing. I suppose there are also ice festivals that can happen before the lakes freeze over and fall festivals where the leaf color develops either too late or too early. Fortunately, our native rhododendrons started blooming last week - just on time for our local festival.
The first to bloom are those on the roadsides where they get more sunshine. The rhodies in the deep forest, where the plants tower over my head reaching for the light, may still be blooming in late June. The leaves are evergreen, thick, and leathery. You can see some new growth in the photo above. This is the state flower of Washington and I feel lucky that we have so many in the area.
What local festivals do you have that are tied to natural events? Are they looking like they'll be on time? What else is happening in your neighborhood?