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Last week the shadbush were blooming. These native are in the genus Amelanchier (am-uh-LAN-sheer) and go by a number of names: serviceberry, shadblow, juneberry, saskatoon - and more. If you look closely you see that they are related to apples, pears, and others in the rose family (they have five petals).
Look closer and you can see that the local bees are busy collecting pollen. Bees aren't the only insects that depend on serviceberries. A whole bunch of caterpillars feed on the leaves - brimstone moth, grey dagger, red-spotted purple and white admiral, as well as other insects. Not to mention that deer and rabbits browse the leaves and tender twigs. And at least 35 species of birds will nosh on the berries when they ripen. Catbirds, robins, thrushes, orioles - those are a few of the local birds that will be plucking fruits from the trees around here.
What flowering trees do you see in your neighborhood this week?
Our crepe myrtles are beginning to bloom now. All the spring blooms are already gone. Thanks for the pretty post.
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