Dogwood Bracts

People generally think this is a Dogwood tree blossom, but the flowers are actually the cluster of little green bumps in the center of these four colored "bracts".

They are usually mistaken for petals, but bracts are modified leaves. Sometimes they are very pale green, or white, or various shades of pink.

When the little buds open I will Blip this again to show you the true petals, pistols and stamens.

I grew up in the middle of a wild dogwood forest in Princeton, New Jersey. I could reach out my bedroom window and pick them in the spring, when all the world seemed covered in white petals. I ran through the trees with my dog every day after school, and the white petals (bracts) were everywhere like snow falling. There were jack-in-the-pulpits and edible mushrooms and bloodroot too, with deer and rabbits all over the place. It was a magical season in a wonderful place, and I miss it.

Now the neighborhood is all built up, with zillion-dollar 7000 square foot McMansions on all sides. I went back to see it once and cried. My old home is now the smallest house on the street. I guess nothing ever stays the same, but still I wish something would!

In my dreams, I am there again and can almost touch the branches...