Today we take a look at a lovely native tree, the Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida. In this video, Pat Heaney, Assistant Director of Education introduces you to a dogwood tree in her front yard.
The dogwood flower’s “petals” are not really petals at all, they are modified leaves. The flowering body is the green part in the center. Cultivars of the dogwood include trees with pink blossoms.
In addition to the native dogwood tree, there are several shrubby species in the genus Cornus. The Red Osier Dogwood is often found in damp areas and is notable for its bright red twigs.
If you are fortunate enough to have woods to walk through, keep your eyes open for the flowering dogwoods in late April in early May. Because of their beauty, they are also used in landscaping, so might even see them around the neighborhood.
