MYSTERY PHOTO: Epic fail

This may be tough: Here’s an old church somewhere in the Lowcountry.  Where?  Send your best guess to editor@charlestoncurrents.com.  And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.

Our previous Mystery Photo

Last week’s mystery, “Natural mystery,” showed a close-up of an azalea flower, which Columbia resident Jay Altman told us usually has five stamens per lobe and five lobes in a flower.

Others who correctly identified the weekly mystery were: David Lupo of Mount Pleasant; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Chris Correale of Johns Island; Kristina Wheeler and Marian Greely, both of West Ashley; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; and Buddy Medbery.

Peel shared some fun facts about azaleas: “Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the Rhododendron genus, and the Southern Indica Hybrid is popular and abundant in the southeastern states in general, and in the Charleston area in particular. This is because, according to Wikipedia, the Azalea Southern Indica Hybrid was first introduced to the outdoor landscape in the 1830s at the rice plantation Magnolia-on-the-Ashley in Charleston. Prior to the 1830s, the plants were almost exclusively grown in greenhouses in the Philadelphia region.

“John Grimke Drayton (Magnolia’s owner at the time) imported the plants for use in his estate garden. The Magnolia gardens were opened to the public in 1871, following the American Civil War. It is one of the oldest public gardens in America. Since the late 19th century, in late March and early April, thousands visit to see the azaleas bloom in their full glory.”

• Send us a mystery:  If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!)   Send it along to  editor@charlestoncurrents.com.