TREES and Shrubs in Pollinator Habitat Enhancement In general, most native trees provide early season nectar and pollen sources for pollinators. Shrubs have more variable bloom times. Use to fill in floral resource gaps. Many trees and shrubs are particularly valuable as larval hosts to butterflies and moths. Though butterflies and moths are not the most important pollinators, they are significant, and in the larval form are critical as bird food. Tree spacing: quite variable, but large trees like oaks, maples, hickories go for 25’-30’ on-center, small trees like Juneberry, semi-dwarf fruit trees go for 10’-15’ on-center. Shrub spacing: for most shrubs, 3’-5’ on-center, for larger shrubs go for 8’-10’.

Native Plants also serve as larval hosts

My Top 15 (or so) Favorites Shrubs and Trees

Willow Salix spp. Mid April – early pollen source for bees Trees and shrubs Moist soils Great for coppicing and building living structures

Acer rubrum Red Maple TREE May June July Aug. Sept. Height: 40’-60’ Hardy: 3-9 Soils: Moist Special value to bee and larval host to Rosy Maple moth among many others and attracts birds. This popular native tree flowers pinkish red, bears the fun samaras, helicopter seeds, and has variable, but always great, fall color, red to yellow. Native to Vermont

Edible Landscaping The ultimate win-win choice

Fruit Trees Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Plums, Pears Disease resistant and heirloom varieties Once established, regular pruning Fragrant blooms in May Bear fruit July-Oct Rich well drained soils Good moisture

Prunus americana American Plum May June July Aug. Sept. Height: 15’-25’ Hardy: 3-8 Soils: Moist-Dry Special value to bees and as larval hosts to butterflies and moths. A common native shrub (threatened in VT) forming colonies at woodlands edge, along roadsides. Beware of thorn-like side branches. Good for jam and processing. Native to Vermont

Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood May June July Aug. Sept. Height: 20’-40’ Hardy: 4(5)-9 Soils: Dry to Moist, Acid Special value to bees, butterflies, birds and larval host to Spring Azure butterflies. This showy native small tree is highly valued as a small, shade tolerant landscape tree, though barely hardy here, go for a microclimate. Great form, flower, fruit, fall color.

Cornus sericea Redoiser DogwoodSHRUB May June July Aug. Sept. Height: 7’-9’ Hardy: 2-8 Soils: Moist to Wet Special value to butterflies, birds and larval host to Spring Azure butterflies. Native red-stem dogwoods are great for adding winter interest, especially showy against snow or evergreens. Nice in mass or small groupings. Native to Vermont

Crataegus species Native Hawthorns May June July Aug. Sept. Height: 12’-36’ Hardy: 3-7 Soils: Dry to Moist Special value to bees, attracts birds and butterflies and are larval hosts to many Hairstreak butterfly species. Quite nice, smaller tree, in the landscape, but beware, 2” long thorns! Nice purplish fall. Flowers have a “disagreeable” odor say Dirr. Native to Vermont

Black Currants WPBR resistant varieties ‘Titania’ and ‘Consort’ Prefer slightly acid soil pH and heavy mulch Our yields avg. about 1 lb/row foot. Bloom in May, Harvest in July Well adapted to this region, in 1919 New York produced 3.3 million quarts

Blueberries

Robinia pseudoacacia Black Locust May June July Aug. Sept. Height: 30’-50’ Hardy: 3-8 Soils: Sandy, Poor Soils Special value to bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. A valuable tough trees, great for making fence posts, honey. A nitrogen fixer and spreading, sending up shoots from roots, put where you really want it. Native to Vermont

Aronia (Black Chokeberry) Aronia is cold hardy (to about –40°F) and the late blooming period (June) avoids damage by spring frosts. Plants can tolerate wet soil and temporary flooding, but not drought. Plants are vigorous, growing to 8' tall, and mature plants may have up to 40 canes/bush. Pruning - Thinning of the older canes is recommended every few years. Yields of 22 lbs(10 kg) per bush average from mature plantings are reported in Eastern Europe. Cultivated varieties ‘Nero’ and ‘Viking’ Source: Washington State University Extension

Nancy’s Favorite (Fall or everbearing raspberries Rubus spp.)

Tilia americana American Basswood/Linden TREE May June July Aug. Sept. Height: 60’-80’ Hardy: 2-8 Soils: Dry to Moist Special value to bees and larval host to butterflies and moths. A great native tree for large landscapes. Great for honey. Most folks are familiar with cultivars of the European native Tilia cordata. Native to Vermont

Cephalanthus occindentalis Common ButtonbushSHRUB May June July Aug. Sept. Height: 3’-6’ Hardy: 5-10 (warm microclimate here) Soils: Moist to Wet, Base Special value to bees/bumblebees, butterflies, seeds for birds and larval host to Titan and Hydrangea Sphinx moths. Nice glossy foliage, late cute buttonball flower and fruit. Needs a warm spot here. Native to Vermont, naturalized

Elderberries Summer bloomers Cultivated varieties of Sambucus canadensis are ‘Nova’, ‘York’, ‘Adams’, ‘Johns’ We are trialing European Sambucus nigra ‘Samyl’ and ‘Samdal’ Can yield 10 lbs/plant and fast to pick Need to be de-stemmed

Black currants fit between Elderberries and Wild Blueberries