White Flowers Print #6: Wild Dogwood Flower

The Wild Dogwood flower is one of the most beautiful sights. The sun exposes its pure white aerodynamic pedals with luscious green leaves around it. The velvet-like texture of the petals is quite mesmerizing.

I stumbled upon this flower by coincidence. It was pitch dark and then a few rays of light suddenly broke through the thick canopy of the forest revealing the flower. Within a few minutes, the sun’s rays were gone, and the flower receded back into the darkness. This was one of those rare opportunities presented by nature.

Inspirational Poem

The Flower

All's in this flower ...
Times, seasons, losses, all the fruits of woe,
Beauty's fragility, and death's bare gain,
Pluck'd in passing by, five minutes ago.

All's in this flower, the war of life and death,
God's character and purpose written down,
The force of love, the proof and power of faith
All's here, and all unknown.

~ Frank Kendon ~

(The Time Piece)

Information About Dogwood Flower

To the Flowering Dogwood goes the honor of having been nominated the most beautiful native American flowering tree. Spring finds it covered with four-petaled flowers, each up to four inches across. The most common color of the wild Dogwood is white, but shades of pink to near red have been found. In autumn, the flowers turn flaming red, coinciding with the ripening of the small, berrylike fruits that are also brilliant red.

Among the early spring-flowering trees the dogwood, Cornus florida, is regarded by most North Carolinians as unrivaled in beauty. It grows 15 to 25 feet (may reach 30 to 40 feet in wooded areas) in height and is generally wider than tall. This deciduous ornamental tree offers landscape interest for all seasons, beginning with its floral display in late March that last 2 to 4 weeks followed by deep, green foliage held on layered branches in the summer. With fall comes a brilliant show of scarlet to reddish purple foliage and bright red fruit (drupes) borne in small clusters. The fruit often lasts into December or until it is devoured by birds. The interesting bark texture and branches help create an excellent winter silhouette.

Dogwoods make excellent under-story trees in a semi-shaded area and can be used in foundation plantings. They are often used as a backdrop for rhododendrons, azaleas, or other spring-flowering shrubs. Dogwoods are excellent for specimen or accent plantings around the terrace or patio.

According to the Forest Service, “the dogwood fruit is particularly important to the American robin. Flocks often move from the forest edge to the interior as berries are depleted”.
Sadly, for the robins, cornus florida is dying out in the wild due a fungus infection (an anthracnose) that came into the USA with foreign dogwood stock in the 1990’s. It’s predicted that most of the wild dogwood will be gone in 20 years. (And what will poor Robin do then, poor thing?) The fungus is not as likely to strike plants living in the open with more sun so most of the yard stock is safe.

Sources: NC State University

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