Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees. Charlotte Adelman
yellow fruit turns red or orange in late fall and makes good jam. Note: Threatened or endangered in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–5; WITHEROD (V. nudum var. cassinoides). Height: 5–8 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Domed clusters of creamy-white flowers in June; colors of serially ripening fruits range from pink, yellow, red, and powdery blue to black. Long-lasting fall color ranges from orange to purple; exfoliating bark. Cultivation: Full sun to part shade; wet, acidic soil; also found in drier sites. Note: Endangered in parts of the Midwest. Zones: 3–9. Viburnum Nature Note: Native viburnum flowers attract pollinators such as the red-spotted purple (p. 18) and other butterflies, Peck’s skipper (p. 135) and other skipper butterflies, hummingbird moths (p. 72), bees, dance flies, wasps, ants, and beetles; have special value to native bees and can be used as part of conservation biological control. Viburnums host 104 Lepidoptera species (butterflies/moths), including Baltimore checkerspot, Henry’s elfin (p. 93), spring azure (p. 95), and sphinx moths, hummingbird clearwing moth (p. 72), and the rose hooktip moth, a New World viburnum specialist. Baltimore butterfly caterpillars sometimes move off their host plants (false foxglove species) to feed on viburnum leaves. Butterfly and moth caterpillars are important food for birds and their offspring. Native viburnum species fruits attract at least 35 bird species, including many warblers, flycatchers, vireos, eastern bluebird (p. 61), wood thrush (p. 175), American robin (p. 62), northern mockingbird (p. 256), gray catbird (p. 79), cedar waxwing (p. 36), northern cardinal (p. 61), blue jay (p. 79), common redpoll (p. 54), and grosbeaks (pp. 162, 200). Fruit with high fat and carbohydrate content is crucial to birds battling cold temperatures where insects are not available and to migratory birds, which need sustenance for their long flights. At the top of the bird berry menu is northern bayberry (see Fall Shrubs, p. 232), with slightly over 50 percent fat; arrowwood viburnum (V. dentatum) is second, with 41.3 percent fat content. (The vine Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) has 23.6 percent fat content.)91 Mapleleaf viburnum berries’ high sugar content makes them winter persistent and thus a very important food source for a wide variety of birds in the winter.92 Small mammals and Bell’s vireo and other birds seek the shrubs for cover and nesting.
American cranberrybush (Viburnum opulus var. americanum) Also see p. 262
American cranberrybush flowers (Viburnum opulus var. americanum)
Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum var. dentatum) Also see p. 263
Downy Arrowwood (Viburnum rafinesqueanum)
Possumhaw (Viburnum nudum var. nudum)
Hummingbird clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe)
Rose hooktip moth (Oreta rosea)
More Native Alternatives:
AMERICAN SMOKE TREE, p. 65; CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; DOGWOOD SPP., p. 48; ELDERBERRY SPP., p. 29; OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75; SPICEBUSH, p. 22.
See Summer Shrubs for HYDRANGEA SPP., p. 143.
See Spring Trees for CAROLINA SILVERBELL, p. 80; CHOKECHERRY, p. 83; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 77.
Weigela (Weigela floribunda)
Nonnative:
WINTER HAZEL, FRAGRANT WINTERHAZEL. Family: Witch hazel (Hamamelidaceae). Genus: Corylopsis (C. glabrescens). Origin: Japan, Korea, China. Height/Spread: To 15 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Fragrant, pale yellow flowers in early spring. Bloom time depends heavily on the weather. Cultivation: Light shade, rich well-drained soil; water in dry weather. Zones: 5–8; CHINESE WITCH HAZEL (Hamamelis mollis). Flowers unlikely to be fragrant. Zones: 5–8; JAPANESE WITCH HAZEL (H. japonica). Zones: 5–8.
Winter hazel (Corylopsis glabrescens)
Nonnative:
WEIGELA, CRIMSON WEIGELA. Family: Honeysuckle (Caprifoliaceae). Genus: Weigela (W. floribunda). Origin: China, Korea. Height/Spread: 6–10 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Red flowers in April to June; no fall color; OLD-FASHIONED WEIGELA (W. florida). Ornamental Attributes: Pink flowers in April to June; no fall color. Cultivation: Full to part sun, fertile well-drained soil. Zones: 4–8.
Native Alternatives:
CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; DOGWOOD SPP., p. 48; NINEBARK, p. 44; SCENTLESS MOCK ORANGE, p. 46; SERVICEBERRY SPP., p. 20; SWEETSHRUB, p. 19; VIBURNUM SPP.,