Thursday, January 20, 2011

dogwood


the crimson tangle
of dogwood


on an overcast winter day
it's soft fire
flickers warmly
in my eyes

frost-hardened heat

19 comments:

Unknown said...

I've always loved the stained stems of dogwood. Great shots. I can almost hear the snaps of twigs under your feet.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I love dogwood steven, as it brightens up the winter and is so easily recognised.

Kay said...

love dogwood....as florists we use it all the time....but on mass in nature it is stunning...

steven said...

annie in the winter they are so vivid and in the woods around where i live tdogwood is very abundant. it provides a very real visual relief for winter-filled eyes. steven

steven said...

weaver i entirely agree!!! steven

steven said...

kay - we use it in our house to add colour and also its random form sets off the relative rigour of the houseplants. steven

Golden West said...

We're too far south to have any native dogwood - what a wonderful color they have!

Ruth said...

Red in winter is exciting. I love how redtwig dogwood becomes a star in winter, when other colors fade, and white is a great backdrop.

Linda Sue said...

"frost hardened heat" what a delicious colour! Oddly, in this dark grey winter, I lean toward muted shades, worn linen,off white and grey ...bright colours seem discontent in this light.

Pauline said...

that lovely red - you're right that it provides relief from the monochrome landscape :)

Bee said...

So red! It's lovely.

I have dogwood, but it doesn't look like this. Having said that, it's in the back of the garden and maybe I should go have a close look at it before commenting.
I hope there is a REAL fire to warm yourself by, too.

Reya Mellicker said...

Frost hardened heat? Wow.

steven said...

golden west it's so vivid like thousands of coloured splashes - it holds the eyes. steven

steven said...

linda sue i hunt down the colours no matter how small or muted. they are tucked away in the soft tissues of winter. they feed me!!! steven

steven said...

pauline - i love the grey scale - really i do! and i love pure colour but in the winter - as you know - it's tought to find so i like to celebrate the little discoveries. finding colour in the winter is like finding clues to a hidden world. steven

steven said...

bee - i live in a really comfortable warm house that i love to come home to. my walk home gets me warm and even sweaty - even on the minus twenty celsius nights! steven

steven said...

reya somehow in the deepest chill the dogwood's red glows even more. almost as if the cold hardens the colour into the wood. steven

steven said...

ruth - so true that some pieces of the natural world step to the forefront visually or even practically in the wintertime. so true. steven

hope said...

How interesting! The only "dogwood" I'm familiar with is the Tree, one of which is in my yard.

I love how you're always helping me discover new things!