All the Dirt on Gardening

Prunus serotina, wild black cherry tree Wild black cherry trees have been added to our fence line in two places, thanks to wildlife. No more, please. Considered junk trees by many, we allow these two because they provide early pollen for many insects and late little berries for birds. Of course, the birds like those cherries so much that they replant and replant with abandon. This plant is one of the pioneer species, mostly growing where black walnut, hackberry and black locust trees proliferate. The tree was introduced as an ornamental and since the seed germination rates are very high, it soon became naturalized until today it is considered undesirable or invasive, which ever word you prefer. Wild Black Cherry is host to caterpillars who eat its leaves. If the leaves are crushed, they smell like cherries . Eastern OK is at the far-west portion of its habitat , probably because of our normal rainfall being high. West of the OK/AR state line there is nothing on the gra...