Trees can be tricky at times. Look, for example, at the beautiful white flower of flowering dogwood, Cornus florida. In common parlance, it is a flower. But in the reproductive life of this tree, the showy white thing is an inflorescence rather than a single flower. And the pretty white things? They are bracts, not petals. Now look closely at the green stuff in the center. Up close (right picture), we can easily see dozens of little green flowers. Each flower has 4 green petals, 4 stamens with white tips, and a single green pistil.

The tree is not trying to trick us, but to trick pollinators. The white bracts advertise the flowers at the center to attract pollinators, especially bees. Each of the little green flowers produces floral scents and abundant nectar to reward the pollinator.

Trees are always worth a close look. At the end of this week, I am teaching classes with the purpose of getting people to look closely at trees. It is its own reward.