Beauty in the Rough

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Tina

The sandpaper feel of its foliage is what gives Roughleaf Dogwood, Cornus drummondii, its common name. I’ve always thought that the beauty of this small tree deserved a more poetic name, perhaps in praise of its graceful form or lauding its creamy blooms and fruits.

Regardless, I’m pleased to house two of these lovelies in my back garden. Excellent wildlife plants, these little trees are the gifts that keep on giving: pollinator magnet blooms, lush foliage for wildlife cover, hardy-drought resistant additions to the garden, yummy fruits for native and migrating birds, and purple-to-mauve-to-pink golden fall color for all to admire.

The petite flowers bloom in mounds from March through May. Mine are mostly done.

The flowers attract a wide variety of pollinators. Each blooming season seems to host one particular kind of insect as the primary sipper of the good stuff. Last year, I recall that different species of syrphid flies were 2024’s insects of rough-leaf choice. In other years, migrating Monarchs have stopped by in decent numbers. Always, the home-grown honeybees partake of the dogwood’s offerings.

This blooming season it was iridescent Blow Flies, Calliphoridae, who were the primary beneficiaries of the nectar and pollen of the dogwood blooms. There were others who pollinated, like our resident honeybees, and I viewed some smaller butterflies at the flowers, but the Blow flies were the most numerous visitors.

Once the flowers have bloomed and provided, the beginnings of the berries is nigh.

In this photo, note the assorted stages: in the lower background, buds are just opening; in the foreground, flowers that are done, leaving the ovaries to become fruits; and to the right, an uneaten fruit from last season. In the course of rain, heat, ice, and wind the once-luscious berry is darkened, hard, and presumably unappetizing.

These are a few of the fruit sets from this spring’s floral bounty.

By August, the small green spheres will grow larger and milky-white. Blue Jays, Northern Mockingbirds, migrating neo-tropical birds, plus squirrels and other mammals will feast on juicy fruits. The fruits of the dogwood are drupes: skin with a fleshy outside and seeds inside. Drupe is a fun word.

As summer arrives, revving up its hot-rod heat, these little trees will remain green and lush. Birds will rest and hide, and berries will ripen for late summer/autumn snacks.

Wildlife is sustained, the gardener smiles.

Mockingbird in the Back Garden

Posted on October 23, 2024 by Tina

For the past few weeks, a handsome Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, has spent a good portion of his days singing loudly and beautifully, serenading to inform the neighbors that this is his territory. Flitting from the Roughleaf Dogwood, Cornus drummondii, to other points of interest in the garden, he returns repeatedly to the dogwood to perch and sing.

Not only does the dogwood provide nice cover with its shade-producing foliage, but the luscious creamy fruits are a draw for many birds, especially this avian crooner.

I observed Mr. Vocalist for several days, attempting to get at least one decent photo of a berry in the beak. Finally–success! If you look at the above photo, you’ll notice a group of 4 berries. Now check out the photo below, you’ll see that 3 of the berries are still attached to the tree, and one berry has landed firmly in the bird’s beak.

He looks jaunty and a little cocky, as he’s nibbling another nosh.

The bird has gone quiet in the last couple of days and I haven’t spotted much mockingbird activity in the back garden. I still hear melodious mockingbird song, but no longer are avian arias performed, but only short stanzas in songbird voice. The dogwood berries have also mostly disappeared, with just a few hanging on near the ground.

The small tree provided for pollinators in the spring, shade and cover all summer, and berries in autumn. Roughleaf dogwoods are a good example of if you plant them, they will come.

Berry Good!

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Tina

Autumn in Central Texas brings an appreciated dramatic flush of blooms (after the heat and drought of a long summer) but also a generous offering of fruits and seeds from many spring-blooming plants.

American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, is a hardy shade-to-sun deciduous shrub which provides yummy meals for Blue Jays, Mockingbirds and various mammals.

Dainty pink June blooms segue to light green berry clusters in July, which then color-up in August. By mid-September, the berries arrive at their disco-metallic, ready-to-eat form. Critters show up and critters eat. I haven’t snagged a decent shot of anyone nibbling on the berries, as foliage provides good cover. But nibble they have.

The first photos were taken weeks ago, but with wildlife noshing, most of the purple goodness that decorated the shrub, are gone with those bird and mammal meals. The Beautyberry still holds a few clusters of berries, which I expect will be eaten in the next few weeks. After that, with shorter and cooler days, the foliage will turn butter yellow and eventually drop to the ground, a mosaic of autumn which, in time, will add nutrients to the soil for future growing seasons.

Another plant that resident and migratory birds enjoy is Roughleaf Dogwood tree,Cornus drummondii. This particular tree is situated behind my pond and provides good refuge for bathing birds to escape to when startled, or a restful spot to perch when fluffing wet feathers is required.

Birds nosh on the creamy white fruits which sit aloft wine-colored stems. Ignored berries have fermented, crinkled, and turned a deep black-blue.

The blast of yellow in the background comes from a couple of Plateau Goldeneye, Viguiera dentata, shrubs. Pollinators are all over these blooms right now and when the blooms end, birds will go ga-ga for the seeds. Once a freeze renders the shrub dormant, finches reportedly use dried leaves for their nesting material.

Before fall fruit development, Rough-leaf Dogwood flower creamy white blooms in April and May, attracting a variety of pollinators, especially fly and native bee species.

Wildlife friendly gardens require plants that are food sources, as well as havens from danger and for rest. These three plants are native to Texas and are excellent seasonal wildlife plants. All are tough plants and easy to grow, add form and structure for human admiration and important sustenance for wildlife. Autumn is a good time to plant perennials and trees here in Texas, so give native plants a whirl in your garden. You’ll appreciate their beauty and practice good stewardship on your plot of the Earth.