Dogwood Berries

Some of the Flowering Dogwoods have taken on a brilliant shade of red. These trees have recovered nicely from the ordeal of hosting several thousands of periodical cicada eggs last year. These trees were practically leafless last summer.

If the weather isn’t too severe this winter, there should be a profusion of blooms on the trees next spring. These enlarged buds will produce next year’s flowers.

This tree is loaded with flower buds and should produce a magnificent display.

Despite last year’s hardships, there were several fruits produced. The birds will have all of these cleaned off before winter ends.

I found one tree that had already dropped most of its fruit to the ground. I couldn’t tell if it had fallen naturally, or if something had helped it on its way.

The fruit on the ground looked as though it had been eaten on by a mouse, but mice generally carry food to a more protected location before eating. Mice sitting here would be in a perfect position to be snatched up by an owl. Maybe that’s why so much of the fruit is only half eaten.