Dogwood Prepares for the Future

My dogwood demonstrates that life keeps moving however subtly and incrementally.

Shiny brilliant red berries flash, set in a rosette of still-green leaves on the dogwood tree. Off to the sides the buds for next year’s flowers are forming, ready to overwinter and open as soon as the moment is right. Birds will feast on the berries, cracking open the thick red skin for the seed inside, spreading those seeds as they digest and drop them. In one process the dogwood has processed its pollinated flowers from spring into berries and added the buds for next spring’s blossoms to do it all over again.

But a tree that is literally rooted in one spot needs to find a way to spread its seeds, and the red like neon signs for songbirds will get the next generation started in their special way. Nature works in a cycle, and plants and animals and insects and all the things that live in an ecosystem will not survive without cooperation for the good of each other.

Some of those green leaves are tinged with yellow, orange and red, and soon the dogwood will be alive with autumn color. I get the benefit of all this color and beauty, and its lessons.

 

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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, visit my galleries of Photography on Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “Custom Prints” for availability and terms. I'll be more than happy to make a print for you.