Redbuds Along A Country Road

Provided by: Rebecca Kidd
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster; Rebecca Kidd

The above photo shows a country road in rural Virginia, east of Shenandoah National Park, accented by flowering eastern redbuds (Cercus canadensis). These fuschia-colored blossoms are at their peak in late April and early May. In the Middle Atlantic region, not only redbuds, but dogwoods, azaleas, wisteria, and fragrant lilacs are all "out" now and make a "Sunday drive" especially pleasurable. The eastern redbud is the state tree of Oklahoma, but it's common all across the central and eastern U.S. Virginia's state tree is the flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). The only down-side to this phenological pulchritude is the pollen, which this spring has been particularly bothersome -- averaging over 1,000 grains per cubic meter. Gesundheit!

Related Links:

• Eastern Redbud
• Flowering Dogwood
• Phenology
• Farfelu Vineyards (photo location)
• Scenic Roads