The Dogwood trees are now opening and gracefully revealing themselves.
I have been photographing them over the past two weeks. It has been a beautiful study.
These buds were forced indoors and opened slowly, but when they did unfold, it was quite a treat.
The little sweet cardinal was photographed two days ago on a morning walk on Hog Creek Road in the Springs. I made several layers of images including a Dogwood as I felt it conveyed energy of Spring.
These trees always make my heart sing.
What appear to be 'flowers' are actually called 'bracts'. The true flowers are inside the white or pink bracts that are often referred to as petals.
The Dogwood was used by Native Americans as a remedy for malarial type fevers that were intermittent. A tea or infusion was made of the white bracts, the green leaves and the interior bark. I do not use this as a remedy in my practice but researched its medicinal properties as I was curious about the historical uses of this tree in medicine.
These pictures were taken in the afternoon light of the Springs.