Small Tree – Tendrils

More on Hop-hornbeam

A couple days ago I told you about a bit about the bark of Hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana). When the tree is young its bark is red/brown with horizontal lenticels giving it the appearance of a Cherry Tree. As the tree matures the bark changes to a pale gray/brown and becomes quite shreddy with narrow strips.

The leaves of Hop-hornbeam are alternate, doubly serrated, and have prominent veins. The fruit resembles the fruit of Hops (Humulus lupulus) which are used in beer making, and that gives this small tree the first part of its common name. The tree grows to a height of 25-45′ and has an average life span of 50 to 150 years. As you’re out hiking be watching for it.

The PawPaw Patch

PawPaw (Asimina triloba). An understory small tree or large bush. Native to eastern North America. There are patches of them here and there up here in the mountains. And for a few years I had three or four individual PawPaw trees growing in my yard. Ones that I had planted. I was thoroughly enjoying them. One had even bloomed for me. Then came the clippers. Not intentional clippers but they clipped nonetheless. All the PawPaw trees got cut down. Ack!

Since then I’ve planted three new, tiny, PawPaw trees. Two have survived. But I’ve had a surprise. Where the clippers did their accidental thing, where the trees were cut down, they are coming up again, from root suckers that under normal circumstances form colonies or thickets.

The reason for my fascination with PawPaws? They’re the host plant of one of my favorite butterflies, the Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus). Plant them and these butterflies will come.

And all is well in the PawPaw Patch.

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American Plum

A meander up the mountain two days ago. The Trilliums would be blooming. I found them, white turning to soft, delicate pink. Always special. But I noticed a small tree full of airy blooms way up there near where I usually turn around. Flowers I didn’t recognize. As is my custom I took photos and brought them back home and began the research. Just my thing. I always love a mystery. It didn’t take too much time and I had figured it out. The airy blooms are American Plum (Prunus americana).

The airy look of the blooms created by a pistil with a lengthy style, and many long stamens. Looking feathery and soft. Leaves are just beginning to peek out.

The American Plum is a small tree or shrub. It’s widespread and native to North America from Saskatchewan and Idaho south to New Mexico and east to Québec, Maine and Florida. If you look carefully in this photo, you’ll see it has many thorns, though not terribly sharp, thank goodness. I’m going to be watching as spring turns to summer hoping to see the plums that develop.