Colors of summer: Pink rhododendrons bloom in Romanian national park

The beautiful rhododendron flowers have been blooming in the Rodnei Mountains National Park in Romania, offering fantastic views to tourists.

In Romania, the rhododendron is found in the Eastern and Southern Carpathians.

The peak bloom time for these flowers is usually between the second half of June and early July, state-owned forest management company Romsilva explained. The plant grows spontaneously in dwarf shrubs in sunny alpine areas, and its flowers are pink or bright red.

The Rhododendron myrtifolium is protected in Romania, meaning that tourists cannot pick or destroy these flowers.

The Rodnei Mountains National Park, which is located in the northern part of the country, in the counties of Maramureș and Bistrița-Năsăud, is one of the 22 national and natural parks managed by Romsilva. It is the second national park in Romania in area, covering over 47,000 hectares.

(Opening photo: Theodor Bunica/Dreamstime.com)