The Mountain Laurel Is In Full Bloom , Creating A Magical World In The Woodlands Of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Once again we had cloudy skies that threatened rain on Sunday here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It seems to rain every weekend. But it is mid-June and I knew the mountain laurel would be in bloom. I decided to take a ride to Tank Hollow in Carbon County. Located in State Game Lands 141 I only hiked here once before, last January. It is looked in the mountains above the Lehigh River and thought it would be a good place to see our State flower, the mountain laurel.
I parked in the lot adjacent to a wide well maintained stone road that lead into the Gamelands. The woodlands appear to have been timbered where I began my hike along the road.
There were open fields on both sides of the roads with scattered large trees and many low shrubs and brush. I saw this deer feeding in the brush and was pleased that it didn’t see me when I first approached.
However, it soon sensed my presence as evidenced by its raised ears, looked at me and took off into the thicker forest further from the road.
At first I didn’t see any mountain laurel on my hike. I did see some other wildflowers including the sheep laurel,
There were not many mountain laurel blooming along the gravel road . The few I saw were beautiful but I was hoping to see a lot more than these isolated bushes.
There were a lot of birds in the trails along the road, including another hungry catbird. I saw one feeding on a dragonfly in the PPl Wetlands on Saturday. This one captured a caterpillar or grub.
There were also a couple of our year-long residents fluttering among the trees, black-capped chickadees.
Chipmunks also scampered in the woods as I walked along the road. This one was watching me walk by from a perch on a tree.
About a mile down the road I followed a narrow trail on the left that led to a overlook of the Lehigh River Gorge at Tank Hollow. It was icy and snow-covered when I hiked here in January,
It was a lot different on this hike. I soon walked into groves of mountain laurel in full bloom. At first they were scattered about, creating beautiful white and pink splashes of color in the deep green woodlands.
As I got deeper into the forest the mountain laurel where everywhere, surrounding the trail in white and pink.
I have seen a lot of mountain laurel but I never seen such a large and beautiful display as this. I took a video of this massive display.https://youtu.be/wq2sizWAlnw
It was almost magical walking among this beautiful, delicate flowers.
The sound of dozens of oven birds could be heard in the groves of mountain laurel. They seemed to be everywhere.
I also saw a pair scarlet tanagers playfully fluttering among the oak, pine and maple tree tops. I followed them for 10 minutes trying to get a photograph of these beautiful birds. Their bright red colors would stand out as the flew from tree to tree. Unfortunately this was the best photograph I could get before they flew off.
I walked through the thick laurel groves and came to an outcrop of rock with a magnificent view of the Lehigh River below. A light rain started to fall as I listened to the roaring of the river fall below. I reflected on the folks who may have stood on these rocks and took in this view before me. It could have included the great naturalist John Audubon who visited here in 1829.
After my bit of reflection on the rock outcrop I made my way back up the trail through the mountain laurel to the main road. The road continued on for about a mile ending at a parking area which I assume would be used by hunters during the hunting season. The wide stone road ended here and a narrower grassy trail began.
It was nice walking along this narrower trail. I came upon a little pond. It is definitely a place I will hike again.
As I walked closer to the trees he birds continued to sing in the branches above the trail including a few eastern towhees.
I also saw another bird, a black and white warbler struggling with a very large grub or caterpillar.
Unfortunately, the grass that grew on the trail, and gave it its rustic appearance, was also a breeding ground for ticks. I had about a dozen of these nasty critters crawling on me in this grassy area. I hate them.
It was time to end my hike and start my long walk back, I saw a few more deer, squirrels, chipmunks and plenty of birds on the walk.
I heard these little birds, common yellowthroats, during my entire hike but wasn’t able to see one until I was almost back at the parking lot.
I didn’t see any bears on my hike but I found what I was looking for, our beautiful State flower, the mountain laurel. I am glad I did, since it only blooms for a few days each year. I highly recommend visiting our mountains here in Northeastern Pennsylvania to see them. Here is a link to some more photographs I took on my hike. State Game Land 141 hike June 16 2019.
Flowers… adorn our lanes, fields and fells, and… smile upon us and cheer and bless us in our country rambles…. the lovely blossoms... kiss the clear brooks and mountain wells… ~James Rigg
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