The bark
of Flowering Dogwoods is dark reddish-brown. It is rough,
with many square-like plates.
Flowers are not very big,
but they look big, because they have large petal-like
objects, called bracts, coming from them. These large white
bracts look like part of the flower.
Flowering Dogwood fruits
are long berry-like drupes.
These shiny red fruits can grow up to 1/2 inch
long.
The fruits are eaten by
many animals, and last from September through
December.
Flowering Dogwoods grow
underneath many trees, including: oaks, hickories, Yellow
Poplar, Sweetgum, Virginia Pine, Loblolly Pine, American
Beech, and Red Maple.
Other plants that grow
with them may be blueberry, Sassafras, Serviceberry, and
brambles.
As an understory tree, or
a tree at forest edges, Flowering Dogwoods provide
cover
for many forest animals.
Copyright, Mark Brand,
UConn Plant Database
This tree depends on bees,
beetles, butterflies, and other insects to help pollinate
it. Seeds are spread by birds and animals, which poop them out in new
places after they eat the fruit.
Many, many birds and animals eat
dogwood fruit. Some of them are: Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird,
Dark-eyed Junco, Tufted Titmouse, American Robin, Northern Bobwhite,
Wild Turkey, Tree Swallow, Raccoon, Red Fox, Eastern Chipmunk,
American Crow, woodpeckers, Common Grackle, Common Starling,
squirrels, Beaver, Striped Skunk, White-footed Mouse, and
White-tailed Deer.
Copyright, Mark Brand,
UConn Plant Database
Deer and rabbits also eat
young Flowering Dogwoods.
Some pests
of this tree are dogwood borers, aphids, scale insects, and
caterpillars of moths, such as Io Moth and tussock
moths.
Some mushrooms, including
the Honey Mushroom, are parasites
of dogwoods.
The wood of Flowering
Dogwoods is used for mallet heads, tool handles, spools, charcoal,
golf club heads, and knitting needles. This tree is often grown as an
ornamental tree in landscaping. Flowering Dogwood fruits are
poisonous
to people.
