Coralberry

Coralberry: Symphoricarpos orbiculatus

Size: 5′ tall and 4′ spread

Flowering: early-June

Fruiting: late-August

Birds: typically ground-feeding birds in fall migration such as sparrows, carbird, thrashers, and warblers,

Commonly known as Coralberry, Indiancurrant or Buckbrush is a full sun/part shade loving plant that reaches 5′ tall/wide. The flowers of Coralberry may be seen in early July.  They are small, and appear in clusters along the stem, just as you would expect by looking at the way the fruit is arranged. Probably more important than the food value of its fruit, Coralberry serves as good habitat for wildlife.  The knee-high thickets provide nesting and escape cover for small mammals and birds.  In addition, the numerous stems serve as a structure that collects detritus, which attracts insects and other small invertebrates, which in turn provide food for larger creatures such as ground-feeding birds.  Wandering flocks of winter sparrows will often spend considerable time foraging in a Coralberry thicket. Once established, Coralberry doesn’t need seeds to reproduce itself.  It sends out lateral stems up to 4 feet long, which then root and grow into a new cluster.  It is these runners that snag your shoe and trip you when you try to walk through a Coralberry thicket.

Cherries

Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) 10-30′ tall/spread. Pin cherry is a small common tree inhabiting a great variety of lands in the northern part of the United States and Canada. It is sometimes called fire cherry for its value as a reforesting agent after forest fires. It forms pure stands that provide shade for seedlings of slower growing species, then dies off, making way for the new trees. Twigs are red, with buds clustered at or near the twig tips. White, rose-like, flowers appear in late spring, followed by a red, round, hanging fruit.

Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila) 50′ tall/spread. As its name suggests, this species only does well in well drained soils. A familiar low shrub of coastal dunes, this creeping plant can be found along most sandy lake shores, making it a beneficial plant for sand stabilizer. The plump, roundish cherries, which are substantially larger than those produced by black cherry, choke cherry or pin cherry, are mature when they turn a deep blackish purple. The fruits are edible and a favorite wildlife food, sweet but somewhat astringent tasting, and usually much more suitable for making jellies and jams than eating directly from the bush.

 

Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) 50′ tall/spread. A large, fast growing, graceful tree with neat, glossy foliage. The trees are covered with clusters of small white flowers in May. The small black cherries, which ripen in late summer, have a rich, wine-like flavor. They can also be used to make a dark, rich jelly which is considered by some to be the finest of jellies. As the fruits are also very attractive to birds, wild black cherry is useful for distracting birds from other crops. Also an important timber tree, wild black cherry is the main species used for cherry furniture and veneer.

Common Ninebark

 

Common Ninebark (Physocarphus opulifolius)

Size: 6′ tall with 4′ spread

Flowering: May and June

Fruiting: pods in late-summer

Birds: upland game birds, and seed eaters such as grosbeak, jay, thrasher, and migrating finches

Common Ninebark is a large attractive shrub covered with 2 inch clusters of small white flowers in May and June and attractive seed pods later in the summer.  The foliage turns yellow-green in the Fall and its peeling bark adds interest in winter.  Plant in humus rich, well drained soil and full sun.  The flowers are a good nectar source for butterflies and the seeds are eaten by several bird species – especially by upland game birds, and large seed-eaters such as grosbeak, jay, thrasher, and migrating finches.

Ninebark also provides nectar for a butterflies, including the spring azure. The clustered flowers provide an easy platform for insects to land and attracts a variety of bees, wasps, flies, caterpillars and other insects.