Amelanchier arborea
Downy Serviceberry
This small tree produces some of the earliest spring flowers with wavy drooping milky-white soft petals that boldly contrast with the lingering browns of the early spring forest. The trunk has distinct vertical stripes or breaks in the bark. The bud is quite long, not as long as a beech, but long. Serviceberries are edible and can be used like blueberries for pies, jams and in pancakes. The berries mature in June, hence their other common name Juneberry, and are an early source of food for birds. The “downy” in the name comes from the fuzz noticeable around the bud as it swells in late winter. The term “service” refers to the tree’s early Spring bloom time and harks back to when communities would delay services for those who had passed during the winter until preachers were available and the ground was sufficiently thawed for burial. Another common name for the tree is Shadbush, an ode to the tree’s flowering period that overlaps with the time when shad fish are running in Northeast rivers. You can find Serviceberry growing in every state in the country except Hawaii.