Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees. Charlotte Adelman
and feed them to their offspring. The plentiful fruits help sustain more than 84 species of birds, including northern cardinal (p. 61), gray catbird (p. 79), eastern kingbird (p. 55), American robin (p. 62), cedar waxwing (p. 36), red-headed woodpecker (p. 212), northern flicker (p. 99), northern mockingbird (p. 256), rose-breasted grosbeak (p. 200), white-throated sparrow (p. 108), Baltimore oriole (p. 167), eastern bluebird (p. 61), brown thrasher (p. 219), wood thrush (p. 175), vireos, and scarlet tanager; and mammals, including chipmunks (p. 94), squirrels, and foxes. The ornate box turtle, found in open sandy habitats, also eats them. Some mammals and shrub- and ground-nesting birds use the plants as cover. Zones: 3–6.
Honeybee (Apis mellifera)
See Spring Trees for Prunus spp.: AMERICAN PLUM and other native plums, p. 78; BLACK CHERRY, p. 82; CHOKECHERRY, p. 83; PIN CHERRY, p. 83.
More Native Alternatives:
SWEETSHRUB, EASTERN SWEETSHRUB, CAROLINA ALLSPICE. Family: Strawberry-shrub (Calycanthaceae). Genus: Calycanthus (C. floridus var. glaucus). Height/Spread: 4–8 feet. Taller in shaded areas. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant, long-lasting individual dark red or maroon flowers that ladies once tucked into their blouses to perfume themselves. Glossy, aromatic dark green foliage turns golden yellow in fall. Urn-shaped seed capsules persist through the winter. All parts of the plant, including the multiple stems, are fragrant. “If only for the purplish-red, pleasantly-scented flowers, this North American shrub is worthy of extensive culture. The hardiness, accommodating nature, and delicious perfume of its brightly-coloured flowers render this shrub one of the choicest subjects,” wrote the English gardener, A. D. Webster, in 1893.13 Cultivation: Easily grown. Full to part sun, moist to dry well-drained soil. Low maintenance, drought resistant, no known pests or diseases. Note: Endangered or presumed extirpated in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: Birds seek its pollinating beetles to feed their babies. Sweetshrub hosts 2 Lepidoptera species. Birds and their nestlings eat the caterpillars. Historical Note: Calycanthus is one of many in the ancient line of beetle-pollinated magnolia relatives.14 Zones: (4) 5–9.
Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus)
SERVICEBERRY, JUNEBERRY, SHADBUSH. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Amelanchier. Genus Note: Serviceberries freely hybridize, making it difficult to identify specimens. Ornamental Attributes: “Serviceberries are like harbingers of spring—their early, attractive, white flowers are a vision of spring for winter-weary eyes,” write Weeks and Weeks. Showy, fragrant clusters of five-petaled white (sometimes pink-tinged) flowers in April or May bloom at the same time as the invasive Bradford pear. True to their name, the showy, sweet, edible purplish-black, blueberry-like fruits always ripen in June. The pretty green summer leaves turn showy orange, red, yellow in fall at exactly the same time as the leaves of the invasive nonnative burning bush turn pinkish or red. The gracefully shaped shrubs and trees have silver-gray bark providing winter interest. The shrubs create nice groundcovers and hedges. Cultivation: Easily grown. Sun best for fruit and fall color. Wide range of moist, well-drained soils. Mulching is a good idea. Frost hardy, salt and black walnut tree toxicity tolerant. Self-pollinating flowers; RUNNING SERVICEBERRY, RUNNING JUNEBERRY, DWARF SERVICEBERRY, THICKET SERVICEBERRY (A. stolonifera, A. spicata). Height: 1–6 feet. Spread: 3–10 feet; LOW SERVICEBERRY, LOW JUNEBERRY (A. humilis). Height/Spread: 2–3 feet. Note: Endangered in parts of the Midwest; ROUNDLEAF SERVICEBERRY (A. sanguinea var. sanguinea). Height/Spread: 3–8 feet. Note: Threatened or endangered in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: The berries are high in carbohydrates and protein and ripen early in the growing season when fruit availability is scarce. They are top favorites for more than 40 species of birds, including cedar waxwing (p. 36), American robin (p. 62), northern cardinal (p. 61), Baltimore oriole (p. 167), brown thrasher (p. 219), eastern bluebird (p. 61), northern mockingbird (p. 256), wood thrush (p. 175), rose-breasted grosbeak (p. 200), red-bellied woodpecker (p. 55), tufted titmouse (p. 169), scarlet tanager, pileated woodpecker, and gray catbird (p. 79), as well as chipmunks (p. 94) and squirrels. “Because they blossom as early as mid-April, serviceberries supply nectar for emerging insects when little else is available,” writes naturalist and author Mariette Nowak.15 Birds eat the insects and feed them to their nestlings. Serviceberries host 124 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies/moths), including the red-spotted purple (p. 18), striped hairstreak (p. 18), eastern tiger swallowtail (p. 18), and viceroy (p. 54). Ruby-throated hummingbirds (p. 91) and adult butterflies, such as spring azure (p. 95), visit for nectar. Serviceberry has special value to important pollinators, including native bees. Zones: 4–8.
Serviceberry spp. (Amelanchier) Also see pp. 77, 271
See Spring Trees for more SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 77.
More Native Alternatives:
BLUEBERRY SPP., p. 27; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; DOGWOOD SPP., p. 48; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; NATIVE HONEYSUCKLE ALTERNATIVES, p. 38; RED BUCKEYE, p. 33; RHODODENDRON, AZALEA SPP., p. 56; VIBURNUM SPP., p. 69; WAFER ASH, p. 45.
See Summer Shrubs for HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143; ST.