January 9 - Fiery Twigs
Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

Few things brighten a winter’s woodland like red-osier dogwood. Fiery red twigs are a striking contrast to the drab hardwoods and snowy white background. “Osier” refers to the long, pliable twigs. Native Americans used them for basket-making and producing a red dye. Not as well known as its relative, flowering dogwood, red-osier is important to wildlife. This spreading shrub of wooded streambanks, lowland forests and wetland edges produces white berries that provide fall and winter food for migrating and resident birds, mice and even bears. The red twigs are winter browse for rabbits and deer. Grouse feed on its buds; beavers on its bark and twigs. The dense growth of red-osier creates cover for a wide variety of creatures. In spring its flowers attract bees, flies, butterflies and beetles. Until then, its flaming twigs flicker red in our forests.

This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.