Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). Some of them. I notice their leaves changing color in late June/early July. Most people don’t pick up on it simply because they’re not expecting it. It’s very subtle. I’ve noticed it for several years now and watch for it. Minute changes from pure green to green with just a hint of red, slowly, slowly. Next year watch for it.
And now some of the Flowering Dogwood trees are becoming brilliant red. Those early ones.
A glimpse of things to come.
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Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) in the very early stages of floral bloom, back on April 10th. Those little pale green nubs at the center are the buds of the Dogwood flowers. Those four even paler green items extending out from the buds – items that we most often think of as petals are actually bracts.
Buds form on Flowering Dogwood trees in the autumn and need protection from the harsh winter. Those bracts protect the fragile flower buds as snow and ice do their thing.
After months of being inconspicuous, the bracts finally open in early April here in central Virginia. Those flowers are still buds though, like the picture at the top of this post. Two or three weeks later that cluster of buds (those tiny flowers in the center) open. The many flowers each have four petals opening and curling to reveal a single pistil with four stamens covered in pollen. Soon to become the red berries (drupes) that become the look of autumn.
Oh MY! What a beautiful morning. How wonderful to wake up and find 2.75 inches of snow plastered all over everything. Up early because an electrician was coming out at the crack of dawn this morning. He managed to show up in his trusty 4X4 Silverado, despite a very challenging, narrow, twisty-turny, snow covered, mountain road.
This image above is snow lit by the sun just beginning its path across the sky. Snow on the branches of Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) trees. Branches that just a short time ago were filled with crimson leaves.
Anticipation of the electrician’s visit had me up much earlier than I would normally be up. Because of that I was able to catch the early morning light accenting the snow. So many enchanting things to see, as if a Snow Fairy had waved her magic wand, decorating everything for Christmas.
And this second image with Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica) in the background while a Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) stands out. More than likely this stunning tree will come inside, and will mark the spot where Santa will bring his gifts in just 2 weeks.
Who would have thought, a visit from an electrician would enable me to witness a Snow Fairy’s magic.
There was just ONE leaf left on the Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) out by the pond yesterday. This morning. This afternoon, still it held on. Then came the cold front. Dark clouds as sunset approached. Wild winds. And then darkness of the night.
Tomorrow morning autumn leaves will be scattered all over the ground. Leaves that will protect larvae of butterflies and moths from the cold of winter.
I expect one of those leaves will be the one last leaf from the Dogwood out by the pond. Crimson with hints of scarlet, finally falling with the other leaves.
Soon to let go. Soon to drop to the ground. Soon to be bare branches with buds of flowers at the tips. Flowers to bloom six months from now. All set to go. Just waiting for the perfect time. Time for the blooms of Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) to open and delight.
I was away for several days, hoping when I returned that the autumn leaves would be just as beautiful as when I headed south. Taking the back roads seemed to be driving back through time. From autumn into green leaves. Not a sign of autumn anywhere. What a joy to return to discover the leaves here in the Blue Ridge Mountains even more striking now than when I left.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) with rich, warm, crimson leaves and silvery gray buds, waiting for winter snow and ice, then spring with opening blooms.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). Leaves that, in a subtle way, start to turn from green to red in late June. You have to look and be very aware. It is indeed quite a minuscule change at first. After all it takes months to reach this point of rich red. And those berries. The ultimate scarlet. Waiting for birds, squirrels, to come, to eat, to distribute their seeds.
Happy first day of astronomical autumn. Quite the rainy day here but it’s time to celebrate nonetheless. First I’ll celebrate that I’m getting rain. Hooray! Something that is needed to a huge degree. Second I’m celebrating AUTUMN. Hallelujah! Lovely, warm colors all over the woods.
Celebrating with me are the Flowering Dogwoods (Cornus florida). They’re showing off their crimson side. They begin this process way back in late June, when the chlorophyll production begins to slowly shut down. Very slowly. Their leaves begin to turn from summer green to crimson. Very slowly. Mark your calendars and check out those Dogwood leaves. It really starts that early.
I hope you’re celebrating the arrival of autumn too.
Two months ago, July 10th, the sun set here at 8:38 p.m., and this evening it set at 7:30 p.m. Summer is now marching into autumn.
As the days become shorter, trees sense that change. Their chlorophyll production slows, their leaves lose the green they started out with in the spring and other colors emerge. In Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), leaves turn crimson. This is a reaction to trapped sugars in the leaves which create pigments, anthocyanins, that along with the loss of chlorophyll turn the leaves to their beautiful red.
And of course in the Flowering Dogwoods the berries are also red and waiting for neighboring wildlife to discover them and come dine.
And within a month all these leaves, green turning to red, with fall to the ground, another stage in the season of autumn.
