Pacific Dogwoods: One Last Dose of Fall Color Before Welcoming Winter

The rain is falling, the wind is blowing, and on a day like today, I am (for once) content to be indoors.  The storm is doing a number on the autumn leaves, which are fluttering wildly down from trees to lay in thick tapestries of color on the wet earth.  We've had several weeks of glorious color, trees ablaze in crimson and gold, and I have happily followed the progression of autumn from the golden quaking aspens of the high Sierra, through the magical scarlet dogwoods of mid-elevations, all the way down to the mellow-hued riparian willows and riotous colors of introduced ornamental trees which grace neighborhoods of the Central Valley.

But now, with Thanksgiving leftovers [hopefully] gone and sodden leaves blanketing the ground to become next year's mulch, it's time to turn our attention to the winter season and all it entails: sparkling snow in the Sierra, mysterious tule fog in the Valley, stalwart conifers and their intricately beautiful cones, resplendent red berries of Toyon, massive flocks of migratory birds and - of course - Christmas!

But first, let's send autumn out with a fond farewell, one last ode in praise of her splendor, personified in the Pacific Dogwood.


The queen of autumn in the Sierra, and the entire mountainous West, is undoubtedly Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides).  But if she is the queen, Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nutallii) is surely the princess, no less radiant, no less graceful.


Breath-taking in every season, this small tree graces the understory of mid-elevation forests throughout the Sierra Nevada, Klamath Mountains and North Coast Range.  Dogwoods of all varieties (for there are many) thrive in rich, moist but well drained soil and are often found growing near stream banks.


Though it can attain mature heights over 60 feet, the Pacific Dogwood is often found growing as a large, multi-stemmed shrub beneath the shady protection of conifers, including Ponderosa Pine, Incense Cedar, Douglas Fir and White Fir, among others.


While autumnal dogwoods light up the forests with their brilliant scarlet foliage, they also shine during spring (typically April and May) when their graceful branches are adorned with bright green new leaves and large, creamy blossoms.  There are few experiences more magical than walking through a grove of Pacific Dogwoods in full bloom!


The flower "petals" of the Pacific Dogwood are actually bracts (modified leaves).  The true flowers are inconspicuous and clustered at the button in the center of the showy bracts.  Each "flower" is between four and six inches in diameter, and later in the season gives way to showy red fruit which is relished by birds.



It has certainly been a glorious autumn.  Now, I have my eye on the weather updates, eagerly keeping tabs on snowfall in the Sierra in anticipation of our first snowshoe trek of the season!


Happy hiking!

Comments

Post a Comment

You Might Also Like:

Birds of the Desert: Residents & Spring Migrants

Image
Nearly everyone knows the desert as a barren, desolate land of extremes: high heat, low precipitation; little available food and water; prickly, spiny, unfriendly plants growing in a sea of rocks and sand as far as the eye can see.  But for those who stop and look closer, the desert reveals itself as the beautiful, incredible, mesmerizing place it truly is, teeming with unexpected life. Juvenile male Costa's Hummingbird visiting chuparosa blooms next to our campsite in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. I particularly love the desert in the spring, when the annual wildflowers, cacti, flowering trees and shrubs are all in bloom.  (I've experienced the desert in the searing 120 degree heat of summer, and the rainy, even snowy cold of winter... and spring wins every time!)  Eric and I just returned from a week in the Colorado desert, exploring the imperiled, accidental Salton Sea (more on that coming soon), the vital wetlands of the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refu
Read more

A Shorebird Primer: Godwits, Curlews, Willets and Whimbrels

Image
For those of us living in the Great Central Valley, autumn is the time to head to the coast.  Of course, there is no bad time to visit California's magnificent coastline.  But as the heat and haze of summer drag on in the Valley, the sea becomes increasingly tantalizing: September and the onset of autumn bring sunny weather and an abundance of migratory seabirds and shorebirds to our coast. A new birder visiting California's Central Coast will undoubtedly be met with a splendid array of very confusing birds.  Among these are small shorebirds like  "peeps" (sandpipers), Sanderlings and various  plovers .  But the larger birds can be just as confusing, until you learn a few distinguishing features.  Four large shorebirds that are commonly seen (and commonly confused) along California's Central Coast are Godwits, Curlews, Willets and Whimbrels. Marbled Godwit (upper left), Whimbrel (upper right), Long-billed Curlew (center front) The distinguishing featu
Read more

Birding in Adverse Weather Conditions: Wind and Rain

Image
Though I often extol the virtues and merits of winter in the Central Valley , especially when it comes to birding, the whole truth is that we experience "bad" weather also, just like anywhere else.  But even when the winter weather rolls in, the birds are still out there!  And sometimes, despite our best planning efforts, a birding day happens to coincide with crummy weather.   In that case, what's a birder to do?  Usually, we go birding anyway!   Birders far more intrepid than I regularly brave the ice and snow of northern winters to see their favorite birds, so perhaps you should look to them for real tips on winter birding!  For those of us in the valleys of California, the worst weather we see - wind and rain - is really comparatively mild.  Birding on an extremely windy day! I don't know of anyone who actually likes birding in the rain.  But I would argue that birding in the wind is just as aggravating as trying to bird in the rain!   Wind can be utterly infuri
Read more

Joshua Tree Woodlands: A Tale of Sloths, Moths and the Trees that Need Them

Image
In 1844, early California explorer John C. Fremont gave a somewhat scathing review of Joshua trees when he wrote, "...their stiff and ungraceful form makes them to the traveler the most repulsive tree in the vegetable kingdom."  Rather unkind, don't you think?  But when Joshua trees were formally described by scientist William Trelease in the 1890's, he noted that Joshua Trees are "the most attractive of all the Yuccas."  I am inclined to agree with this sentiment, and must disagree most heartily with Lieutenant Fremont! I, for one, adore Joshua Trees, with their whimsical shapes and great ecological significance!  If you struggle with plant identification, the iconic Joshua tree, hallmark of the Mojave Desert, is a good place to start.  With densely spiked tufts protruding from the ends of gangly arms stretched towards the heavens, this looks like a plant straight from a Dr. Seuss book.  Native people called these trees “humwichawa,” and used thei
Read more

Winter Gulls: The Great I.D. Challenge

Image
Gulls are a fun challenge for birders, from beginners to experts.  A few things make gulls an interesting study: they are large and conspicuous in their open habitats, so they are easy to see, easy to put a scope on, and easy to watch and study for long periods of time.  Furthermore, gulls are almost always identifiable as gulls; none of this confusing warbler/vireo/kinglet nonsense! And yet, gulls are almost impossibly difficult!  (Though perhaps not nearly as difficult as Empidonax flycatchers!) An intimidating scene to many a birder: a mixed flock of gulls.  I see five different species of gull here. Oh, and one American Coot in the background. One of the reasons they are so complicated is most gull species take two or three years to achieve adult plumage, and go through multiple molts in a year.  So, you may be looking at three or four gulls together that look like four completely different species, when they are actually just different ages (individuals in their first, s
Read more

Exploring New Places: South Carolina's Salt Marshes and Tidal Creeks

Image
Throughout South Carolina's Low Country, winding tendrils of water wend their way through a sea of grass, rising and falling with each new tide.  Low-lying intertidal areas immediately inland from the coast, salt marshes and tidal creeks form the interface between upland forests and urban areas, and brackish estuaries where freshwater and saltwater mix.   Tidal creeks are, to a first-time visitor to the South Carolina coast like myself, absolutely beautiful, mysterious, enthralling places where silvery ribbons of water meander seemingly aimlessly through a vivid green matrix.  They give the impression that there is water everywhere , a foreign concept to someone from arid, drought-stricken Mediterranean California.  And that was my first impression of South Carolina: there was water everywhere I looked!  Water in the ocean, lakes, rivers, creeks and wetlands, water covering the ground, falling from the sky, in the air itself!   Is there any land at all in this veritable wa
Read more