Dogwoods

Dogwoods are extremely important to wildlife. The flowers, fruit, seeds, buds, leaves, twigs and bark are all sources of food high in calcium and fat. There are 17 species of dogwood, but the flowering dogwood is most important in Virginia. Dogwoods are commonly planted on school grounds, and also grow along fence rows. Insects that feed on dogwood include several borers.

Producer
Consumers

Herbivores
Bark borers (inner bark)
Club gall (twigs)
Dogwood borer (inner bark)
Tussock moth caterpillar (leaves
Purple finch (fruits)

Omnivores
Bluebird (fruit and insects)
Cardinal (fruit and insects)
Catbird (fruit and insects)
Yellow-shafted flicker (fruit and insects)
Kingbird (fruit and insects)
Yellow-bellied sapsucker (fruit and insects)
Brown thrasher (fruit and insects)
Red-eyed vireo (fruit and insects)
Downy woodpecker (fruit and insects)
Wild turkey (fruit, buds and insects)

Carnivores
Disease
Decomposers

 


dogwood (producer) => IO caterpillar (herbivore) => skink (carnivore)

 

(click on organism to see more)



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