The four seasons are definite in the southern mountains, each with
qualities which set it apart. The Parkway motor road is open the year
round, but is not recommended for winter travel.
[Illustration: Native Flame Azalea.]
Spring is the favorite season of many in the Blue Ridge, for nowhere is
there a greater show of native flowers. In mid-April the shadblow
blooms, lacy white on the hillside; but the real procession starts in
early May,--pink azalea, dogwood, redbud. In mid-May the flame azalea
appears like fire through the undergrowth. Purple rhododendron, native
of certain areas in Virginia and prevalent in North Carolina south from
The Bluffs, are next to bloom (late May to mid-June). The
mountain-laurel is everywhere and breaks during June. The white to pink
rhododendron comes later in June and lingers well into July. There are
many spring and summer blooming shrubs and ground flowers in the wild
places along the Parkway. Among these is the galax,--glory ground cover
of the Southern Appalachians.
Summer in the Blue Ridge is a refuge from the warm temperatures, the
altitude accounting for as much as five degrees of coolness per thousand
feet. The eastern mountains, forest covered, are notable for their
summer greenery. The intermittent highland valleys are a changing color
pattern of growing corn, buckwheat, rye.
Autumn comes to the highlands later than you might think. The sumac,
gums, the famous southern sourwood, turn brilliant red early in October,
but are usually not joined by the colorful display of the hardwoods
until the last part of the month, even early November.
Winter sometimes comes suddenly to the Blue Ridge. Travel then becomes
uncertain at best. Ice storms, persistent fogs, and blustery winds make
it so. There are many times when the mountains are clear and beautiful,
but we advise local inquiry about travel conditions during the winter
months before venturing on to the Parkway.