One of the best floral displays along the Parkway was the pink shell azaleas. They were outrageous!

This rare native only to North Carolina grows at high elevations between 3,000 and 5,500 ft. on rocky summits, cliffs, health balds and spruce forests. Delicate pink blossoms appear in late May to early June before the leaves emerge. Pink-shell azalea occurs primarily southwest of the Asheville Basin, but is found at scattered locations farther north. Rhododendron vaseyi is considered globally endangered because there are fewer than 100 communities of the shrub known to exist on the planet. The world’s largest population grows on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain.