Dogged wood

Dogged wood, originally uploaded by john m flores.

So last year the dogwood in the front yard didn't bloom. We were kind of bummed because it's really pretty when it does, and I've used it as a subject to test a number of cameras and lenses - my old Nikon D70 with a 50mm F1.4, my now sold Pentax K20d with the DA*16-50 F2.8, and the now stolen Ricoh GX-100.

So I asked the Internet - about the hows and whens and whys of dogwoods. Of the pages and pages that I read, the one thing I remember is the theory that the tree will bloom if it feels somehow threatened. The blooming I guess helps to propagate the species. Think about that - the tree is basically saying, "We're under threat! Reproduce!" Just imagine if humans reacted similarly!

So based on the advice of people on the Internet - I hit the tree with a mallet. Several times. If you were in the neighborhood and you saw a crazy guy swinging at a tree with a mallet - that was me.

I'll admit that taking advice from strangers on the Internet isn't always the wisest thing. But I had nothing to lose, except perhaps a little respect from my neighbors.

But looky here. The following spring and the dogwood blooms! Just in time to test my new Panasonic 100-300 F4.0-5.6 zoom. And so the "Tree as test subject" tradition continues.