Pontic Rhododendron

This patch is slowly but surely being chopped down hopefully to be replaced by less invasive plants. At this time of year there are a number of birds nesting here so progress has slowed down. Joseph Pitton de Tournefort noted this species in the early 1700's and then Carl Linnaeus (the guy who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature) named it R. ponticum 'to identify the ancient kingdom on the south shores of the Black Sea, Pontus, in which it grew' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron_ponticum#Historical_range ) . R. ponticum is considered an invasive and destructive species and certainly under this patch the only other plant life I have found is moss. According to George Monbiot (an English writer, known for his environmental and political activism), this species used to live in the UK in ancient times and it is possible that one of our missing herbivores — the ancient elephant, kept it under control (by eating it?).