For some reason, I never before realized that dogwood produces fruit in the fall! And depending upon the kind of dogwood you have, the fruit will vary. The fruit comes in red, white and blue colors. We have the red ones (above and below).
Are they edible? Native Americans used to eat them, but some believe the berries are toxic. They are bitter to the taste and can cause gas and stomach pains, so they’re not recommended for eating. However, birds and small wildlife enjoy eating them, and they make a good winter food source for small wildlife.
In addition to berries, my dogwoods are flowering again. Imagine their shock when they arrived to Napa Valley temperatures in excess of 105 degrees these past few weeks – very different than their usual spring weather when the flowers first appear. Perhaps that’s why many of them remained closed (above) – for protection!
