It’s the winter sun that gives the branches of the Common Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) their colour. A red pigment, anthocyanin, is formed under influence of light and cold. It protects the twigs against the harmful effects of sunlight.
a-600-8-s.jpg)
Dogwood is very common among the scrubs in dry and calcareous areas. It makes patches of colour in a wintery landscape, as you see when you look with nearly closed eyes.