From fireworks back to flowers but there is something of the fireworks in these pictures with explosion of colours and the tendrils of the stamen stretching out.
My clear favourite today is the first picture and I almost posted it on its own because I like it so much. I love the way the petals arch backwards pushing the stamen forwards and the little coils tempting bees to come and collect the pollen. It is such a beautiful flower.
There are many different varieties of Rhododendron (over 1,000 in fact) and the flowers are really quite beautiful, with vibrant colours and delicate petals. Although they are actually native to Asia, and the national plant of Nepal since their introduction to the UK they have run wild, to the extent that in many parks and gardens they are being removed because they impede the growth of many of our native plants and shrubs.
When they are in bloom they add a really nice splash of colour and the pictures above show the development of the flower from bud to blossom (obviously working up the page) and I am sure you will agree it's quite lovely.
This delicate little blossom is from a Rhododendron, it took me by surprise when I saw it because I had never noticed them before and I hadn't realised that such a large and overbearing plant such as the Rhododendron had such a tiny flower.
This specimen was in a fairly exposed spot on the edge of the woodland and as you can see some of the flowers have taken a bit of a battering.
