I really like Madrone … as long as they are in the park, like this one. I have a couple small ones in the green belt along my yard and they are continually dropping leaves or bark into the yard. It isn’t just in the autumn … seems to always be something. Better they live in the park and don’t generate so much raking.
They are pretty, though.
The deer in Port Townsend are numerous and very tame. I have to fight them to keep my flowers from being deer food … although they do a pretty good job on keeping my hydrangea pruned. So, when you see deer grazing somewhere in town, you don’t have to worry about them running off … unless you try and get within a couple feet of them.
I liked the way the late afternoon sun brought out the reds in the madrona.
The Rhododendron is the state flower of Washington. Salal and Madrone are allow common … especially the salal. I have a lot of salal growing in my yard (growing wild) and it is a nice ground cover. This was taken along the Larry Scott Trail (a converted rail right-of-way). There is also a leaf or two from the low-growing native blackberry … which make the best pie, by far.
The native Madrone are great photo subjects. However, they aren’t quite as nice as features of your yard. They drop leaves, bark and other items pretty much year-round. They are pleasant enough, if you don’t mind raking up the mess.
I like Pacific Madrone a lot for their colors. (they aren’t so much a favorite if they are growing in my yard: they are quite messy all year round) But with a dusting of snow, the color really stands out.