These unknown berries keep appearing in my yard but I don't have any plant that produces them. I think the birds may be bringing them in, the area near the feeders is where I seem to find most of them. If you break them open, there is a single seed inside. I'd like to find out what they are because I have 3 dogs and am afraid they may be poisonous. I've done several searches online and the closest thing I can find is the fruit of the Flowering Dogwood but I'm just not certain. Thanks for your help!

I really don't know what tree it's from but it doesn't look like fruit of Kousa (Dogwood), it reminds me more of Malus (Crabapple). Hopefully someone will recognize it and be able to give you an exact ID.

They also look like the berries of Hawthorn Lavell. Look at the pictures on the data base. They may be it or another Hawthorn.....If you squeeze them they smell a little like an apple,

They look look the berries on my dogwood here.

I'm glad someone else came along with suggestions because I didn't really have a clue.

Crataegus x lavallei: Cockspur Hawthorn (Crataegus crus-galli)

Japanese Dogwood: Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa)

Thanks folks They look more oval in shape than any of the Hawthorn berry photos and I'm not noticing any apple like smell. They're very smooth and shiny. I'm going to see if I can find any more info on the dogwood berries. I was looking around and several neighbors have them in their yards.

That's your best bet ... probably came from a neighbor's tree. Is there a tree from a neighboring property possibly hanging over in your yard where the fruits were found?

None hanging over, none even close my fence, that's what has been so strange about it. I'm still wondering if it's the birds bringing them over, I have a lot of birds.

Could be birds but I wonder why they'd take them from one garden and distribute them elsewhere ... they don't look to have been eaten or even chewed on by a night critter.

Certainly not Cornus kousa, but it looks like a perfect match of Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood).

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp...

Great eye Rick R!

Vicki: Scroll down this page in our database for more great pic's of the fruits of: Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

That is definitely what they are. The house next door is vacant so I went over and looked at their dogwood, found the same berries on the ground underneath the tree. Thanks a bunch everyone