One of my favorite spring flowering trees is dogwoods. I love the way the beautiful white blossoms dance in the wind. Often times, I’m able to photograph them against dark backgrounds of other trees or the ground which really help set off the flowers. In golden early morning light they can be spectacular.
Flowering Dogwoods (Cornus Florida) are a flowering tree native to North America. They can be found from Maine to Florida, from Ontario to Texas. There are even some that are native to Texas. The hard dense wood from the dogwood trees has been used to make everything from golf club heads to butcher blocks. A tea made from the root and bark was used as an early treatment for malaria, while twigs were used as chewing sticks to clean teeth and freshen breath.
Supposed historic uses of dogwoods includes being used to build the Trojan Horse and as the Crucifixion tree (the tree on which Christ was crucified) even though dogwoods are not found in the Middle East. Over time, the blossoms have also come to symbolize the Christian Cross and Good Friday.
These are some of my favorite dogwood photos I’ve taken in the past couple of years.
Blossoms dancing in the wind at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
A single blossom in the morning light at the Bog Garden in Greensboro, North Carolina
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
A pair of blossoms at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
A branch of blossoms, also at Brookside Gardens
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
Cloud 9 Flowering Dogwood at Brookside Gardens
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins
And a pair of blossoms at the Botanical Garden in Asheville, North Carolina
(c) 2010 Patty Hankins