Ground Dogwwod berries ripening in the woods – Fairbanks – August 2015

I walked through the spruce woods behind my house today and admired the ground dogwood (Cornus canadensis) that blanketed the forest floor.

The dogwood (also called bunchberry) certainly brightens up the forest floor with its bright red berries. The single-seed fruits are actually called drupes, but nobody calls that.

It makes such a nice ground cover. I’ve been planning to plant some in my front yard, which is a native species garden.