Evening was coming on when I waked down the road to look at the mountain laurels. The blossoms have finally arrived in full force.
The proper name of the tree is actually Texas mountain laurel,
There must be a dozen trees growing wild on this street alone. Their grape soda scent hangs heavy in the air. The effect seems slightly surreal to me, and indeed, it's said that Native Americans used their seeds as a hallucinogen.
As a child I was intrigued by the red seeds that littered the rocky ground and took a lick of one. It made me feel very strange. Mind you, I wouldn't do that today. Apparently all parts of the plant are quite toxic.
The color is lovely, though. Shades of twilight in a flower.
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