Open Season For Dogwood Berries

Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, is perhaps at its high point in popularity at this time of year.  As I watch out my kitchen window this rainy afternoon, in just a matter of perhaps five minutes, I see three tufted titmice, a pair of cardinals and a sprightly squirrel all gobbling down their mid-day meal.

C

Colorful Times

As the leaves of the Dogwood are turning from many shades of rich green to burgundy, crimson, purplish red, and rusty red orange, its berries have already turned to a Christmas cheery red, inviting birds and all critters of the woods to come, feast.

No Reminder Needed

This is an invitation, to come feast, that creatures of the woods do not need repeated!  As far as favorites go, I believe that Dogwood berries are near the top of their list.

Leaf Peepers

While we humans are enjoying the brilliant display of autumn leaves, before they fall to the forest floor, Dogwood berries are quickly being devoured.  So quickly that I hardly have time to get photographs of berries covered with an early snow.  If I am extremely lucky, a snow will fall before the hungry critters are done with their “shopping trip” to the Dogwood Eatery.

Red And White

Only if I am extremely lucky will a get a shot of crimson red against cloud-soft white.

Sometimes

You can see though, that on rare occasions it does happen.

Who

Some of the critters that I must stay one step ahead of for my early snow shots are cardinal, junco, tufted titmouse, robin, bluebird, bobwhite, wild turkey, tree swallow, crow, woodpeckers, grackle, starling, red fox, chipmunk, squirrel, beaver, skunk, white-footed mouse, and deer.  What an amazing list!  It’s no wonder the berries disappear so quickly!

What?

And here we have Mr. Squirrel saying, “It wasn’t me eating all those berries!”