Redwood rhodies
Editor’s note: The “Hey Ranger” column written by employees of the Redwood National and State Parks will appear on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Today’s column is by Sue Pappalardo.Garden-variety rhododendrons bloom around town this time of year, but did you know that wild ones bloom in the redwoods?
Redwood National and State Parks are well-known for magnificent coast redwoods, but it’s also famous for native rhododendrons.
You can enjoy these lovely flowers in many areas of the park. Most publicized is the Damnation Creek trail 10 miles south of Crescent City. This magnet attracts camera-wielding visitors seeking the shrub’s bright pink blooms to enhance their foggy-forest photos. For more solitude, hike a little farther down the trail or check out the equally good local viewing areas listed at the end of this article.
What is a rhododendron and why is it so special? The Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum) is a shrub in the heather family (Ericaceae) reaching up to 26 feet tall. Native to the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Central California, it’s one of 1,000 kinds of wild rhododendrons in the world and one of 35 in North America.
Unlike the prim, pompous cultivated varieties, the beauty of the Pacific Rhododendron is tricky. Most of the year, the shrub is a tangle of bare branches banal lanky crowned by long, leathery leaves. But in late spring and early summer it becomes a great show. Large clusters of pink to rose-purple flowers appear at the top of the leaves in whorls, like bodices.
Although the flower show is eye candy for us is a juice bar for insects. Bumblebees and butterflies swallowtail stop for a sip of sweet nectar (but do not enjoy yourself - it is toxic!).
Larger animals use and rhododendron. Deer nibble the buds and flowers and mountain beavers eat the whole plant. Songbirds take refuge in its groves, its nest in the highest branches and the fodder on the ground below.
In addition to its beauty and value of wildlife, Pacific rhododendron is particularly noteworthy in our region as it grows old growth redwoods. Most areas that are happening today in secondary forests or clearcuts. Only 5 percent of virgin coast redwoods remain, and Redwood National and State Parks maintains about half of them.These ancient redwoods and rhododendrons colorful complement each other, creating a spectacular and beautiful almost beyond our back door.
Pacific Coast Trail - News
The Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum) is a shrub in the heather family (Ericaceae) reaching up to 26 feet tall. Native to the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Central California, it's one of 1000 kinds of wild rhododendrons in the
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Pacific Crest Trail Documentary (PART 2) "Walking the West" Video
Winner California Independent Film Festival (Best Documentary) and Vancouver Mountain Film Fest (Jury Award) "Walking the West" (PART TWO) is an adventure Documentary about a New Zealander and an Irishman who quit their jobs, cash in their savings and walk 2626 miles from Mexico to Canada along one of the longest foot trails in the world, the Pacific Crest Trail. Walking a challenging pace of 21 miles a day for 4.5 months, they must cross the Canadian border before winter storms hit the Cascades. see www.walkingthewest.com Crest Whitestrips Review
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Six Moon Trail Canada to Mexico Along the Pacific Coast: 
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RT : Best of luck to designer extraordinaire on his 3-month hike up the pacific coast trail. Break a leg! (but, not really.)
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The Pacific Crest Trail, Southern California
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