Black Cherry

We have a lot of native Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) in my small forrest. The fruit brings in a lot of wildlife — birds in particular.  

This is a quick-growing pioneer species often found in groundhog, fox, and raccoon-rich field hedgerows, cheek-to-jowl with its other dark friends, the black walnut and black locust.  

Larger Black Cherry trees were once prized as cabinet and veneer wood, and if you’re buying an old piece of American-made “cherry” furniture, it’s made of Black Cherry, not an old orchard tree.