Dogwood is the state flower of North Carolina (and the state tree of Missouri). Dogwoods are a sign of spring and, in the South, the saying "dogwood winter" is a reference to the belief that it isn't wise to plant crops before dogwoods bloom for fear of a cold snap that could damage sprouting plants. The wood is prized for being hard and strong, but dogwood trees don't get very large. Local woodworkers use it for making small items like ink pens, canes, dulcimers and wooden inlays.* In Greensboro, the pink variety, featured above, is not as common as the traditional white.
Locally, this iconic spring blossom is being attacked disease which has the potential to destroy the trees. NC State University has been developing a disease resistant dogwood that is anticipated to be ready by 2014. They are also working on a red-flowering variety of dogwood. Read more here.
Today's photo is dedicated to local artist Karen Bjork Dischell. Since we can't paint pictures of trees like she can, we took a photograph mimicing her use of positive and negative space among the branches.
Painting found on the following website: http://ure.uncg.edu/prod/cweekly/2010/08/31/karenbjork-dischell/
Dogwood grow in California at higher elevations. Since we live at sea level, they are a rare sight here. So, whenever we go east we look forward to seeing the dogwood everywhere. Always a thrill.
Posted by: Oakland Daily Photo | Saturday, March 31, 2012 at 02:19 AM