Kalmia latifolia
"Mountain Laurel" Within our laurel's blooms I spy by chance two catbirds, improvising ear to ear, as each upon the other's art descants. I stand in awe of how the two cohere. Aware of me, perhaps, they flush, and clear the laurel, soaring to our neighbor's orchard and leave the scrawny poet in me tortured. ~ Leland Jamieson One thing I love about the Farm is the attention that is paid to nature; its cycles, its gifts. At this time of year we look to the woods during late spring for the mountain laurel. The other day at a morning meeting the subject of mountain laurels ( Kalmia latifolia) , came up, or rather the lack of the flowers this year; the skimpy amount of laurels appearing on and around the Farm trail which bears the bushes name. I had yet to see the laurels, until today. Every summer the Farm takes a trip to the nearby state forest for a picnic and time at the lake; swimming and boating. This year we've decided to go once every m...