Cornus kousa: flowering dogwood in Penlee Park, Penzance
There’s been a lot of weather lately in Penwith. Some sunny days, like this one. Lots of water falling on us from the sky. Gales with winds of up to 80 mph. Locally towards Lands End, there were reports of over 100 mph gusts. So it is amazing that the trees are still all standing intact.
Autmn is now well under way. This little holly tree by the path has plenty of berries.
There are still plenty of fruits left on the Cornus kousa, too, but they are beginning to look a bit tired and flabby:
Many fruits have fallen on the ground among the dead leaves.
I wonder why the squirrels and birds (loads of both in this park) don’t eat them more?
It looks like the leaves are beginning to turn beautiful golden and scarlet colours, but if you look more closely, you can see that it’s caused by damage to the branch.
It might have been the wind, I suppose, though the cornus has very pliant branches and the whole tree gracefully bows and dances when it is windy. Perhaps someone small has been swinging on this branch?
The leaves on the rest of the tree are beginning to turn, but mostly brown, sadly. The edges look as if they have been lightly toasted.
Thanks to Pat for hosting us tree followers. https://squirrelbasket.wordpress.com/
Amblings around Penwith 
Oh dear, your tree isn’t so happy in autumn. As you say, the weather has not been kind recently. At least we haven’t had snow or frost. Fingers crossed.
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I was almost late with this post as it’s been so windy and wet I haven’t got out to take photos. And the tree dances so much in the wind it’s difficult to get pictures in focus (as you can see!) Maybe I should try a video?
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hello JayP
Perhaps just now in autumn as there are so many fruits the birds have more than enough so are chosing their favourites. I find the berries on my rowans go fast, but in Stornoway where there are many more fruiting trees and shrubs the rowans hold their berries longer. There is a folklore that says, if holly is full of berries it is going to be a hard winter. 😦
Happy tree following, Frances
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Thanks Frances, I hadn’t thought of it that way. Come to think of it the local grey squirrels do look a bit stout – they’ve obviously stuffed themselves with chestnuts and berries and all the other goodies on offer. I’ve heard that about lots of berries leading to a hard winter….Brrrr!
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Your tree is certainly good value for year-round interest.
Those fruits look a bit squishy but surely tasty?
The rest of your park looks beautiful, too. Thanks for sharing.
All the best 🙂
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Thanks for commenting, Pat. The fruit I tasted last month was okay but a bit bland (wouldn’t swap them for raspberries!) I am hoping the leaves will go interesting colours later in the autumn/winter but suspect it might need colder nights than we usually get round here.
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