In Full Bloom

From the Institute for Climate Education at A-B Tech: Our wet spring has helped to bring an amazing display of color across the region.

The Rhododendron are in bloom across many of the higher elevations and are putting on quite a show as you can see from these beautiful guys in my yard. Did you know that Rhododendron is from Ancient Greek meaning ῥόδον rhódon “rose” and δένδρον déndron “tree”? * (What did we do before we had the Internet?)

And my favorite landscaping flower — Dianthus (also called “pinks” — center and left of the giant rock in the image below) are more beautiful this spring than I have ever seen them!

The increased hours of daylight and plentiful moisture are bringing out the best that nature has to offer. The length of our day is up to 14 hours and 24 minutes — that’s over 4.5 hours more daylight then we get in mid-December! **

Assuming that the recording station at Asheville Regional Airport does not record any rainfall on Friday, May 31, we will end the month with 7.78 inches of rain for the month. That is 4.25 inches above the normal May rainfall and a cool 11 inches above the normal so far for the year.

By later on Sunday , a cold front moves into the area.

* Wikipedia
** timeanddate.com

Click here for a truly unique live view across the French Broad River Valley on the Institute’s HD Webcam.

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