I have often wondered what tree, if any, the New Jersey native was thinking about when he wrote that famous poem. The tree that most assuredly is causing the traveler to pause now and gaze at her beauty is the dogwood. The bloom of the dogwood alone should make you want at least one for your yard, if not several.
Cornus comes from the Latin word meaning tough wood.
Many think they are looking at the flower when they see that brilliant white shimmering in the forest. The white is actually a bract, similar to the red part of the poinsettia. The dogwood offers us much more than just brightly reflective blossoms. The reddish-orange fall leaf color make it one of the top five tree species in our area. The bright red fruit that goes almost unnoticed by gardeners is devoured by 28 species of birds including turkey and quail.