Black Cherry
Prunus serotina
The Potato Chip Tree! Yes, that’s one of the nicknames of black cherry trees. That’s because some people think it looks like burnt potato chips were pasted all over the trunk.
Black cherry is the largest of the native cherries of the United States. Black cherry wood is reddish-brown, hard, and fine-grained, making it valuable for making furniture. And while the wood is useful for humans, the dark purple fruit is an important food source for many birds and other wildlife.
Black cherry trees really show off in the spring. The long clusters of white flowers are quite spectacular. As much as humans enjoy their beauty, pollinating insects, including bumblebees and honey bees find the flowers simply divine!
This tree ID sign is sponsored by the Baltimore County Forestry Board,
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