Tag Archives: dogwood

Creek Dogwood, Sierra Nevada

Creek Dogwood, Sierra Nevada
Creek Dogwood, Sierra Nevada

Creek Dogwood, Sierra Nevada. Bishop Creek, California. October 2, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dense growth of creek dogwood with white flowers and fall color red leaves along Bishop, Sierra Nevada.

This is a plant I’ve been intrigued by in the past – literally the very same plant in the precise same location along Bishop Creek in the eastern Sierra. I think it is called “creek dogwood,” but here again I have to admit to my poor ability to offer proper identifications for many plants. (I’ve mentioned before that I often “know” the plants quite well – where they grow, when they come up in the spring, when they flower, and when the go dormant… but I often fail to register their names!) This plant acquires brilliant red leaves in the fall, and with some green leaves and round white “berries,” it has a striking appearance.

This is the next in the series of photographs of very dense vegetation. While it may be hard to make sense out of the photographs when presented as small web images, there is a lot of very interesting (to me, anyway!) detail in a print of this subject. It is even possible, I think, to make some sort of compositional sense out of all of this complexity as well – or at least I want to think so!

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Late Season Dogwood Blossom, Rain

Late Season Dogwood Blossom, Rain

Late Season Dogwood Blossom, Rain. Yosemite National Park, California. June 6, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A late season dogwood blossom along highway 120 after morning rain – Yosemite National Park, California.

As I entered Yosemite via the northern road on the first weekend in June I was certainly not expecting to still see dogwood blossoms – at least not more than a few brown stragglers – so I was very surprised and pleased to discover that one of my favorite groves along highway 120 was still full of bright white flowers. Even better, when I arrived everything was still wet from earlier rain, making the colors more intense and leaving some raindrops on flowers and leaves, and the overcast from the returning rain storm diffused the light nicely. This flower was photographed in a deeply shaded section of the forest.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: dogwood, tree, leaf, flower, blossom, bloom, bract, forest, grove, rain, shower, spring, late, season, morning, yosemite, national park, california, usa, sierra, nevada, mountains, range, white, green, wet, drop, highway, 120, foliage, nature, scenic, travel, stock

Dogwood Leaves After Rain

Dogwood Leaves After Rain

Dogwood Leaves After Rain. Yosemite National Park, California. June 6, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Water droplets from a passing shower on dogwood tree leaves, Yosemite National Park.

As I drove into Yosemite via the highway 120 “north” entrance, shortly after entering the park I passed by a large dogwood grove at the bottom of a steep descent. I know this spot well, and I watch if for dogwood blossoms every spring – and I can often find blossoms here long after they have gone from the Valley. On this morning the colors were intense from the previous day’s rain and due to the slightly overcast conditions. I was surprised to find that even at the end of the first week of June there were still some very nice looking dogwood blossoms and intense green leaves everywhere. The leaves in this photograph are on one of the dogwood trees in a shady section of the forest.

This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

keywords: dogwood, tree, leaf, vein, wet, water, drop, droplet, rain, mist, shower, spring, green, nature, plant, foliage, twig, branch, yosemite, national park, grove, forest, morning, spring, stock, california, usa

New Post at California Nature Photography Blog

I just authored a new post at the jointly-authored California Nature Photography blog (“Dogwoods in the Valley”), in which I share five of my dogwood bloom photographs from my early May trip to Yosemite Valley along with some discussion of the photographs.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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