Fall Blooming Native Azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium) CU - GSO Arboretum 9/3/2015

Yesterday I went to the GSO Arboretum and took a shady trail which I usually do not take.  I found a real surprise.  There was a fall blooming native azalea in bloom.  Luckily it had a sign with the botanical name.  I could look up more info when I got home.   This is a Plum Leaf Azalea.(Rhododendron prunifolium).  NC is not shown on a map where this is commonly  found.  There was density between AL & MS ...images taken from Georgia.  My original image had a lot of disfigurement in the leaves.You are seeing the one I cloned in PSE 11.  I did not use the macro mode in Camera+ as digital zoom = decreased sharpness.

Purple/Pink Rhododenron & Native Rhododendron 5/10/2015.

At Sarah Duke on Sunday, I wanted to capture more than just a couple ghododendron blossoms.  The image on the legt was shot in the shaded area near the cafe. I thought the tree bark added some other texture to the imatge. Because it had rained earlier there was increased saturation  Shot in HDR mode.  The native azaelas (right image)  in the Blowmquist Garden were not as good as I had hoped.  Shot with Camera + app   Post editing in PSE11.  Adjusted sliders for shadows, highlights and mid-tone  Slight sharpening.