How the squirrels and chipmunks chew through the mealy, gritty fruit of the dogwood tree is beyond me, but as long as someone is getting sustenance out of them, I’m happy to see these beauties go to some use. A number of years ago I tried crafting a cocktail out of the dogwood fruit – heating and pulverizing and straining them into a semi-simple syrup (anything that involves an extra step of straining is not purely simple, hence the semi – and if you’re a regular here you probably enjoy a semi).
This is the next to last show of the season for the Chinese dogwood. These fruits will ripen into something that resembles a reddish cross between a strawberry and a cherry, dangling in pretty profusion until the rodents or birds or rainy winds pull them all down. It sets the stage for the final stunning moment – the colorful autumn foliage. It looks especially resplendent when backed by a falling sun.
