Pinxter flower

In the litany of gorgeous spring flowers, Rhododendron periclymenoides is certainly at the top of any 10 Best list. This wild azalea is often known at the Pinxter Flower, a name I always figured came from its color, which, even to my red-green colorblind eyes, is gloriously pink. That assumption, however, is quite wrong. It turns out that the common appellation is derived from the Dutch moniker, Pinxter blomachee, a name that translates, more or less, to "blooming on the Pentecost," the seventh Sunday after Easter. Around here, of course, this would be tricky timing, since Easter is a moveable feast and when Easter is early, the Pinxter would barely be in bud by Pentecost time. Whatever the historical reason for the name, R. periclymenoides is now putting on a gorgeous show, making up in sight what it utterly lacks in smell. My close-up lens has never met a Pinxter it doesn't love.