What are these beautiful dark pink flowers I have been seeing everywhere during April and May? https://t.co/Ix91JgVkjs

Answer

Hi, Esther.  Those beautiful "flowers" are actually not flowers at all!  From your photo, it looks like you have been seeing trees in the dogwood familiy, Cornaceae. More specifically, you are looking at trees in the Cornus genus.

The showy pink or white "flowers" that you are looking at are actually bracts, which are modified leaves.  In dogwoods, some trees have white bracts, and some pink.  Certain species have bracts that change color from white to pink as the season progresses.

Dogwoods have been having a good year in 2016, and have added a lot of gorgeous color to the Spring landscape in the Northeast.  There are many different species that people plant, but we especially love Cornus florida, which is a species native to North America.  You can read more about this species here.

A dogwood is a great native ornamental that looks great in Springtime, and continues to be beautiful throughout the year.

  • Last Updated Apr 02, 2018
  • Views 79
  • Answered By Esther Jackson

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