Carolina rhododendron typically blooms in the rocky crags of North Carolina's Linville Gorge in late April to mid May. Though these rhody blooms are smaller than Catawba or rosebay, they're equally breathtaking and offer an early glimpse of the radiant rhododendron season. Most of our native azaleas are deciduous members of the Rhododendron genus, including the multi-hued flame azaleas (Rhododendron calendulaceum) that brighten Blue Ridge balds and forests. Flame azaleas usually display their colors in midto-late June on the Tennessee-North Carolina border where the Appalachian Trail traverses Round Bald, shown here. May/June 2015 37