Tag: blooming tree

Prunus serotina (Black cherry)

Welcome to ChooseSustainable.org where we explore ways of living sustainably. In this series of short posts I present a native plant to encourage everybody to abandon our traditional way of gardening (basically a continuous fight against nature) and engage in sustainable gardening practices that nurture the ecosystem, sustain wildlife, and foster biodiversity.

In this post I’ll talk about a large cherry tree: Prunus Serotina (Black Cherry).

A young black cherry in my backyard. Mature trees grow up to 60′-80′ (18-25 m).

Quick facts:

  • Zones:3-7
  • Bloom time: Early spring (Apr-May)
  • Sun: Sunny area to shade
  • Soil Moisture: Wet-dry
  • Aggressive: NO
  • Front yard: YES
  • Height: (60-80’)
  • Status: OK
  • Maintenance: NONE
  • Wildlife value: Very High

Wildlife connection: A host of insects, birds and mammals depend on this tree for survival. The early flowers provide food for many species of bees and bumblebees, along with smaller insects. The leaves provide food for the caterpillars of several butterflies and moths and for a large variety of beetles. The fruits are extremely important for birds and mammals such as foxes, raccoons, opossums, chipmunks and squirrels.

I consider myself very lucky because I had a large black cherry in my yard. The tree was able to survive the invasive buckthorn and, after the buckthorn was cleared, two new small trees emerged. The large tree died last year, but the young trees are growing fast.

The leaves of this tree are bright green and shiny. If you look at them up close you will notice that many leaves have bumps and holes. There is no need to worry, it just means that the tree is serving its purpose and it is being used by insects, as it should be.

The presence of holes and galls suggests that insects have been using the leaves.

In mid spring (mid to late May in my yard) the tree blossoms with nice white flowers that unfortunately don’t last very long, perhaps 2-3 weeks. In summer the flowers are replaced by small black cherries that look more like berries. It is hard to catch a glimpse of them as they quickly disappear, eaten by birds.

The flowers of black cherry in mid-late May

The importance of this tree to the ecosystem is hard to overstate and it is on the same level as the oak’s. Both trees provide to the essential needs of a large number of species. If you do have some room in your yard and are thinking of planting a tree, Prunus serotina is an excellent choice for conservation.

The tiger swallowtail is just one of the many creatures that rely on black cherry for survival. I wonder if this one was born on my tree

Please make sure to purchase native flowers from nurseries that don’t use neonicotinoids and look out for the full botanical name to avoid cultivars. The YouChoose App provides resources and several links to useful sites for sustainable gardening.

Would you like to talk about a native plant in your backyard? Please send me your post at info@choosesustainable.org and if you liked this post please share it with others.

Amelanchier Arborea (Downy Serviceberry)

Welcome to ChooseSustainable.org where we explore ways of living sustainably. In this series of short posts I present a native plant to encourage everybody to abandon our traditional way of gardening (basically a continuous fight against nature) and engage in sustainable gardening practices that nurture the ecosystem, sustain wildlife and foster biodiversity.

In this post I’ll talk about a small tree I planted in my yard a few years ago: Amelanchier Arborea (Downy Serviceberry).

Quick facts:

  • Zones:4-9
  • Bloom time: Early spring (March-May)
  • Sun: Sunny area to shade
  • Soil Moisture: Medium, Wet
  • Aggressive: NO
  • Front yard: YES
  • Height: (15-25’) But it can vary
  • Status: OK
  • Maintenance: NONE
  • Wildlife value: High

Wildlife connection: The trunk, flowers, leaves, and fruits of this plant are very important for wildlife. Serviceberry is the host plant to caterpillars of several butterflies and moths. Several other insects use this plant for their larvae. The flowers attract bees, honeybees, and other early insects and the berries are food to birds and small mammals.

I planted a very small serviceberry tree in my backyard several years ago. Not being very familiar with the plant I placed it in a location where it was unhappy. Thinking in retrospect, the soil was probably too dry. Although the plant is tolerant of a wide range of soil moisture it prefers moist and well drained soil.

After waiting for a few seasons I decided to transplant it to a different location. Since then the tree has been growing better and this year it bloomed for the first time.

If you are looking for a small tree, Serviceberry is a very good choice. Its size makes it suitable for small yards but it can be a nice decorative addition to a big yard as well. It provides early spring flowers, fruits, and foliage color in fall and it seems fairly low maintenance. The spring flowers are particularly important for early bees, when other flowers are still not available.

Please make sure to purchase native flowers from nurseries that don’t use neonicotinoids and look out for the full botanical name to avoid cultivars. Contact me for suggestions on where to buy.

Would you like to talk about a native plant in your backyard? Please send me your post at info@choosesustainable.org