The first two weeks of February 2026 have been miserably cold and dangerously icy, and I am anticipating the warming days of spring. With the warming weather comes the threat of fungal disease to one of Virginia’s beloved ornamental trees, flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). Dogwood anthracnose, caused by the fungus Discula destructiva, is the most serious dogwood disease. Introduced into the Pacific Northwest from Asia in the mid-1970s, dogwood anthracnose first infected Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii), then rapidly spread across the United States, where it continues to cause the most destruction along the Appalachian chain. While the disease is more prevalent in areas of higher elevation, it can occur in our region, especially if the spring is wet and cool. Symptoms appear in April and May. Also called Discula anthracnose, the disease affects bracts, leaves, and branches, eventually infecting the trunk. Leaf and bract symptoms of dogwood anthracnose include irregular brown spots w...