Common Chokecherry

  Prunus virginiana

 A resilient native to much of North America that produces dark berries used to create baked goods and juice. Birds feed on chokecherries and their flowers are a food source for pollinators.

Chokecherry is a large, highly adaptable native shrub that tolerates a wide range of soil and light conditions. Typically reaching 20 feet high with an irregular rounded-oval crown, chokecherry produces a profusion of cylindrical white flowers in the spring. The flowers give way to a bounty of dark red berries in the summer, which attract plenty of birds.

Many species of butterflies and moths are supported on chokecherry foliage. This includes five species of butterflies such as the Coral Hairstreak, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Red-spotted Purple, and ten species of giant silk moths such as Cecropia moth, Polyphemus moth, Imperial moth and Io moth. The aromatic flower clusters are very popular with early pollinators. Autumn foliage turns golden yellow to orange.

The flowers of the chokecherry are somewhat self-fertile, which means that a single shrub will produce some fruit, but not as abundantly. Fruit production increases when 2 - 3 of the shrubs are present.

 Source: https://www.prairienursery.com/chokecherry-prunus-virginiana.html