One of my favorite trees at our house in Mattapoisett is a Black Cherry, partly because of shiny, chocolate bark, now flaky gray with age.
I'm in good company -- more than 350 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars also love trees in the Prunus genus--the second most nibbled-on plant among lepidoptera after the amazing Oaks.
In traditional landscaping Black Cherry and its cousins have been ruled out as weeds, best pulled and never planted.
Once they go, however, so do the butterflies – Red-spotted Purple, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and hundreds of others. And once those disappear, what will the birds eat?
To be fair, Black Cherry produces tons of fruit--better than any bird feeder but perhaps messy underfoot. And it's prolific, with new seedlings apt to pop up in unfortunate places, such as up against the house.
Those side effects are a small price to pay when you’re planting for wildlife.
Bonus: Fragrant pinkish flowers, brilliant fall foliage and cherries -- tasty baked into pies and cooked as jams–good stuff!
Here are a few in the genus to choose from:
Black Cherry, or Wild Cherry, Prunus serotina, is the biggest of the bunch, topping out at 60 to 80 feet tall. It makes for a beautiful landscape or shade tree, and its edible berries turn black in the summer.
Look for bluebirds, blue jays, cardinals, crows, turkeys and other feathery friends nesting and feasting on your tree, along with red fox, raccoon, squirrels and rabbits.
Fall foliage is in the yellows and oranges, and it is deer resistant. Try pairing it with Eastern Redcedar and smaller shrubs including Possumhaw Viburnum and Mt. Airy Fothergilla, with blooms that will emerge after the cherry's have faded.
Next up, if we’re going by height, is the less-well-known Pin Cherry, or Fire Cherry, Prunus pensylvanica, sought after for its beautiful white flowers and striking and edible red berries, sour off the tree but great in cooking.
Pin Cherry grows naturally in open woods and is one of the first trees to sprout after a fire, hence the common name. It is short lived and reaches heights of 35 to 50 feet, usually as a single trunk with thin branches forming an attractive, oval canopy.
Pin Cherry also has some of the best fall foliage of all the cherries. It makes an excellent addition to a food forest for its fruit only. All other parts of the tree are toxic.
Try Pin Cherry with Black Chokeberry and Carolina Rose. Partridgeberry, tolerating even full shade, makes a nice, thick groundcover.
Chokecherry, Prunus virginiana, grows as a large shrub or small, single-trunk tree, up to 15- to 20-feet tall. In the wild it forms dense thickets, and its fruits are bitter off the vine, which is why it is called Choke Cherry, but excellent in baked goods.
Its fruits turn from red to black when ripe, and like all cherries, its fragrant, spring flowers hang in racemes.
Try Chokecherry with Sassafras, Smooth Sumac and Pennsylvania Sedge for fiery fall leaves and semi-evergreen foliage.
A popular cultivar is Canada Red Chokecherry, propagated by seeds or cuttings.
Wild Plum, or American Plum, Prunus americana, has long been one of my favorites; maybe I’m just drawn to plants with prickles. 🤔
These prickles, and the plant’s tendency to form thickets, make it a great choice for a hedge.
Like all cherries, it features an airy canopy, and its leaves usually are filled with caterpillars. The flowers attract Monarch and other butterflies as well as native bees.
Wild Plum’s fruits mature to either red or yellow flushed with red, and they can be eaten off the stem or baked and made into jams.
Try adding Virginia Creeper, Wild Strawberry and Common Blue Violet.
Here’s the shorty: Beach Plum, Prunus maritima–a top choice for coastal gardeners.
Beach Plum loves the sand and easily tolerates salt spray. Its frilly, white flowers come out before the leaves, giving it a snowy look.
The purplish fruits ripen in late summer, a bit tart off the branches but crammed with antioxidants and tasty in jams and pies. At least two plants are best for fruit.
Beach Plum grows just 3 to 8 feet high and wide, making it a beautiful focal point for a home garden and along the home’s foundation, preferably in full sun and well-drained soils.
Good companion plants include Northern Bayberry, Groundsel Bush and Beach Grass. Add Eastern Redcedar for height, winter color and texture.
About the author
Jennifer Anderson owns Tree Talk Natives, a native tree and plant nursery in Rochester, Mass. A former news reporter, she loves to talk native plants and can be reached at jennifer@treetalknatives.com.
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