Paula, While some fruits do need a frost to completely ripen (e.g. persimmon) as far as I can tell from my references, flowering dogwood isn't one of them. I have seen many birds feeding on dogwoods before frost. As a rule, the fruit color signals ripeness (seeds mature, maximum nutrition, minimum toxins) to wildlife, so when the berries are bright red, they are ready! Some plants enhance the signal to birds that the fruits are ripe with foliage (called the "foliar flag" theory) which is what Virginia creeper (and perhaps some grapes) is doing when it changes color before most trees to bring down those robin flocks. As far as the effects of the drought, you may be right to be concerned about this year's fruit production, but it may be worse next year because many plants have already set their flower buds for next spring. There may be fewer of these (which of course become next year's fruit) due to drought stress, and worse, entering winter with such dry soils will increase winter kill due to water stress, so many buds may die. If we get substantial rains before the worst freezes, this effect may not be so bad. On a more positive note, the birds' mobility on their wintering grounds generally allows them to seek out places where food is available. Bill Bridgeland Sparks, MD