Text by / MOOK Travel Life Network Editorial Department
In spring, flowers across Taiwan gradually bloom and smile. At this time, the alpine flowers of Hehuan Mountain are also slowly awakening from the cold winter. Especially the Rhododendron kawakamii in Hehuan Mountain National Forest Recreation Area, full of vitality, leads the welcome of the highland spring. The red-and-white Rhododendron kawakamii blooms all over the mountains and fields, forming a sea of azaleas. The best viewing period is from now until the end of May.
Hehuan Mountain’s Rhododendron kawakamii enters its best viewing season. (Photo source / Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Forestry Bureau)
Climbing Hehuan Mountain above 3,000 meters during the Start of Summer season, the alpine plants are truly amazing. The Rhododendron kawakamii at the 700-meter point of Little Qilai in Hehuan Mountain Forest Recreation Area is in full bloom, while flower buds hang abundantly on the branches along the trails to the East Peak and Main Peak. It is estimated that they will gradually bloom from late April to the end of May. To adapt to the harsh alpine environment, Rhododendron kawakamii has developed tough, thick leathery leaves with glossy wax surfaces and rolled leaf edges—all traits that help reduce water evaporation and resist the cold. In addition to admiring the flowers, netizens can also take a closer look at these adaptations.
Lee Yanshou, Director of Dongshi Forest District Office, invites everyone to come up the mountain to enjoy the flowers, and also urges visitors not to litter and to follow the recreation area’s smoke-free policy, which has been in effect since April 1. Let’s cherish the beauty of Taiwan’s mountain forests.
● Extended Reading »»
Azaleas Bloom One After Another in Alishan – Rhododendron kanehirae is Now in Full Bloom
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