Profusion Of Laurel

The laurel is beautifully in bloom, more than I’ve seen in some thirty years here. Conditions must have been just right for it this spring. There is also a beautiful display as you go up My Mountain Road from Lowrey Road. It’s a confusing situation, as the locals call the rhodendron “mountain laurel.” Here’s how I keep it straight. Long leaf, long name. Short leaf, short name. I don’t know if the bay leaves we cook with are the same species, but the laurel is in the bay family, and the leaf looks a lot like the kitchen bay leaf.