The Hillbilly's Thermometer

I haven't been posting much, and am sorry for that, but this cold weather has reminded me of the Hillbilly's thermometer.
Years ago I was attending NC State University and a fellow from the Coast was griping about the cold weather he was experiencing there in the middle of the state - in his home, south of Wilmington, the weather is moderated somewhat by the Gulf Stream - and made an observation that thermometers told you nothing but a number, which, for him at least, was somewhat abstract. He said "somebody ought to come up with a thermometer that reads 'cool, cold, awful cold, darn cold, mighty darn cold, and cold as heck'". These were not the exact words he used, but you get the drift. After thinking a few minutes, I remarked that we did indeed have such a thermometer in my home in the Western North Carolina Mountains. Upon getting incredulous looks from all involved, I began to explain...

This is the flower of the thermometer, a type of Rhododendron, the Great or Rosebay Rhododendron, taken at the Sunburst Picnic Area, Pisgah National Forest, Haywood County NC. Be careful when you come to the North Carolina Mountains and ask where to see Rhododendron; many of the natives, especially the older ones will send you to the high mountain balds of the Craggies, looking for the Purple or Catawba Rhodendron, which is not as good a thermometer, though it has gorgeous flowers around late May or early June;no,  they call this one Mountain Laurel or just Laurel, which is confusing, because there is another shrub with this name, which they call Ivy or Mountain Ivy. Confused yet? These live at all elevations of the Mountains, and often people have them in their back yards. They often live right along their confusing namesake, the Mountain Laurel, which is a very different shrub.

The Great Rhododendron has afforded the Southern Mountaineer a cold weather thermometer for generations, and I will tell you how; you see, the leaves curl when the air gets cold. When it's warm, above 50 degrees, the leaves all are held out at right angles to the twig.

When it gets cool, around 40°F, they start to droop, like this, and when it gets to about 30...

The curl a little. This is cold. When it gets pretty cold, around 25­°...

why they curl even more. When it gets darn cold, around 10°F, they will be curled nice and tight to the twig, and as it gets to mighty darn cold and colder than heck, they just curl tighter, until about 0°F, when they won't curl much tighter. I will try to get some photos of this phenomenon this week, just look for an update.

 Not only is this tree good for a thermometer, it has lovely blooms on it starting around mid summer, and the leaves have been used to make a gray dye that was used for Confederate uniforms in the American Civil War. The twigs make the best whimmydiddles (Whimmydiddle), and I have seen the limbs used as paper holders and other things in a mountain lodge.
So, if you live in the mountains, or anywhere the Great Rhododendron lives, check it out. You can throw that confusing digital thermometer away!