RED OSIER DOGWOOD BERRIES ARE RIPE

RED OSIER DOGWOOD SHRUB...

....PANICLE OF RIPE FRUIT

Friday, 8:30 AM.  72 degrees F at the ferry dock, the same on the back porch.  Wind variable with occasional light to moderate gusts.  The sky is clear with some haze, and the humidity has risen to 79%.  The barometer has begun to fall gradually, now at 29.93".  Cooler weather, in the high 70's and low 80's, is predicted for next week, which will be welcome.

   I have written about red osier, or red twig, dogwood, Cornus stolonifera, in the Dogwood Family (Cornaceae) before, but I write about it again because the very distinctive white berries are ripe now.  They won't last long on the shrubs because they are very much relished by birds.  They are edible but not particularly palatable to humans, although there was some use of the berries as food by Native Americans.  When the berries are gone, the bright red stems of the fruit will remain.

   Of more importance to American Indians was the use of the inner bark of the twigs, mixed with tobacco, in the smoking mixture known as kinnikinnic.

   The red osier dogwood is a medium to large shrub that spreads by stolons, thus its species name, and its usefulness in wetland restoration and other ecological work.  The red twigs are a great esthetic addition to the winter landscape, but the shrubs are large and very aggressive, padrticularly in wet locations, and must be used judiciously.

   Very obvious leaf veination, alternate leaves and branches, and distinctive flowers, fruit and branch color make this plant easily identified.

OFF THE CUFF

   Having watched Donald Trump's acceptance speech as the Republican nominee for president last evening, I am very favorably impressed with his message, and with his sincerity.  I think he is really a believer in the common citizen, and is serious about jobs, law and order, terrorism and the other difficult problems the nation faces.   

   I also think he has the ability, if elected, to impact these threats to our way of life, and to enhance its quality.  He has begun to surrounded himself with the talent he will need to advance his goals, if elected. 
   He has started a movement that gains more momentum by the day.  No one has spoken more clearly for the common man in many years.  It is little wonder the nation's elites hate him.