I love that the leaves start out purple and turn green as the plant grows, while the flowers turn pink then purple. I wonder if the purple in early leaves is UV protective for the plant since the tree leaves are not yet out to provide shade. Idk as I'm not a botanist. Just guessing!

In SW virginia mountains, they bloom in the fall. We planted 2 that we thought were straight species 3 years ago. One is blooming now for the first time, and the flowers are not the same color as the wild ones. So ours must be a cultivar. Ugh.

Interesting. Thank you for the post

Wow! That tree! Stunning branch structure and size!

Wow! This is fantastic!

I completely agree! It is a special treat to spot a pileated and their red markings stand out against the winter gray.

I came here to also suggest Wood Thrush! Ian is very knowledgeable so we make at least 2 trips a year to talk to him and purchase natives that interest us.

Hi Pandra.
When you're ready to add more nurseries to the list, the Virginia Native Plant Society maintains an excellent statewide list at www.vnps.org. Two that specialize in local ecotype native plants are Moulton Hot Natives (linktr.ee/moultonhotna...) and LERN (www.lern-rva.org).

Interesting! Thanks! We did have a serious drought this summer with periods of heavy, extended rains in early fall. The mountain laurel, rhododendrons, and blueberry bushes near these fetterbushes are not flowering. Wish I had been up there last spring to see who flowered and who didn't!

Thank you! I love that there is a name for this smell!

Thank you! That means a lot to me.

A favorite fish of mine! Love how they hop and walk on the substrate. Just plain cute!

This is one of my favorite fishes. They are about the size of my finger and seem to have personality. I love how they use their fins to hop and "walk" on the substrate. And let's face it, they are just plain cute!