By the time the solstice sun peaks, trees and shrubs are seeding up. At least in nature’s eyes, the waxing of the year has been accomplished. Cultivated fruit trees, wild apples, cherries, and many woodland wildflowers are festooned with hard green fruits.

One of my favorite shrubs or trees is the wild black cherry (Prunus serotina). I am fortunate to have so many scattered around my property along with chokecherries (Prunus virginiana) and pin cherries (Prunus pensylvanica). I have taken much care over the years to make certain that these trees are encouraged to grow.

The ecological value of black cherry, chokecherry, and pin cherry trees is exceeded only by oaks. Taken together, they are host plants for more than 450 species of butterflies and moths, including the Tiger swallowtail, cecropia moth, sphinx moth, and the red-spotted purple butterfly.

Black cherry and probably all the others co-evolved with the tent caterpillar, which is not supposed to kill the tree, but these insects have killed some branches and sometimes a few of my youngest cherries after repeated infestations. Of course, these caterpillars also provide nourishment for many birds and animals.

Grouse, robins, brown thrashers, bluebirds, starlings, cardinals, jays, catbirds, woodpeckers, sparrows, cedar waxwings, and many other birds love the purple or red fruits. Bears, foxes, coyotes, squirrels, and wild turkeys also feed on wild cherries.

Surprisingly, I have heard no one but Doug Tallamy extol the virtues of these trees or shrubs. Except for black cherry, the others have no value commercially and are often considered pests. I have never planted a wild cherry!

They appear like magic on their own, but once visible I make sure they have a chance to grow. Every spring I look forward to seeing where new seedlings might be popping up because I also treasure those spring flower bouquets. Birds and animals spread the fruits and amazingly the seeds remain viable for 50 -100 years.

Up until last June, I had a crazy neighbor who cut down all the wild cherries along the top of the road. After he moved, not only did the cherries return but some bloomed this spring (did they know he was gone?). The delicate sprays of fragrant bright white flowers are a favorite of wild bees and other pollinators.

The three native species are somewhat shade tolerant growing well in the understory, canopy gaps, and even after a clear cut. The shrubs and trees mature quickly, preferring some hardwood neighbors, although mine grows through white pines as well.

Black cherry is the most common of the three; this tree can grow from a small shrub into a moderately large tree. Like the chokecherry and pin cherry, it has smooth dark gray bark that is offset by horizontal stripes or lenticels. As a tree black cherry bark is flaky; under the cambium the wood is a rich reddish/brown.

Although its bark and fruits are similar to black cherry, chokecherry is the second most common species and can be distinguished from the other two by its leaf shape. The leaves are shorter with a more rounded edge, and unlike the black or pin cherry do not have a point at the end of the leaf. All these plants have finely serrated alternate leaves.

Chokecherry usually grows as a shrub but here one reached what I would call the tree stage. Sometimes at the sapling stage, I cannot tell black cherry and chokecherry apart from a distance. Both have flowers and fruits that droop in clusters on stalks called racemes. The fruits become dark purple or black when ripe.

Pin cherry is the least common species, a fast-growing small shrub that can reach 30 feet. I had one here that grew into a tree with a diameter of about 4 inches. After it died from old age many young shoots appeared and within a couple of years most were blossoming. If you are fortunate, this tree will form dense colonies.

This short-lived tree is often found growing in sunny, dry soils and is one of the first trees to appear after fires. Pin cherry leaves are the narrowest of the three, very pointed. I see fewer of these shrubs than the others and note that when a pin cherry is young – twiglike, the bark is reddish – almost burnt umber.

Unlike black and chokecherry, pin cherry fruits grow singly off an individual stem and are bright red when ripe, not dark purple/black.

Most people don’t pay much attention to these shrubs or trees but birds, animals, and naturalists like me love them! Now, because so many of our trees/shrubs are in trouble the cherries become even more important as wildlife food sources.

Beaked hazelnuts, beech, and oaks are dealing with serious diseases that may kill them, so we need wild cherries more than ever. If it were up to me, I would plant them everywhere for the wildlife! Fortunately for birds and animals, nature has the same idea!

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.