Jen and I brought TAB’s ashes home yesterday. He’s in two of my pile ‘o’ sheep jars. One is for sprinkling, the other’s for keeping. TAB will be in our bay, in his beloved Mutant Field and with me here in Valhalla.Additionally, Michelle Lydon of Lydon Chapel for Funerals, enclosed a bit of TAB in a cardboard envelope/box that's wrapped in a net of flower seeds. These’ll go in at the base of the tree we’ll plant for him.
Right now, I’m thinking of a prunus serotina AKA the black cherry tree. They can grow as tall as 125 feet – statuesque like my man – and are great for birds and wildlife. Just like TAB!
Wildlife Value of the Black Cherry: Wild cherries, including the Black Cherry, are among the most important wildlife food plants. Red Foxes, Eastern Chipmunks, Cottontails, White-footed Mice, and red, gray and fox squirrels forage on fallen cherries, while Black Bears and raccoons climb Black Cherry trees for the fruits. During winter, voles feed on the bark at snow level. White-tailed Deer and Moose, which are not sensitive to the toxins, browse on the twigs and foliage in the fall and winter. These animals spread the seeds to new areas.Apart from the squirrels, TAB'd be thrilled! So then, TAB’s gonna be planted after all – some of him anyway. Now to find where I can buy one of these babies.
Many insects use the Black Cherry as a source of food, particularly the leaves. The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract honeybees and bumblebees. The Black Cherry is a caterpillar host of many butterflies and moths, including Small-eyed Sphinx, New England Buckmoth, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Scalloped Sallow, and Dowdy Pinion. (source)
Advice and suggestions welcome!
Hopefully there are local nurseries that carry them! One question: what time of year is best for transplanting a black cherry tree?
ReplyDeleteFrom the little I've read so far, spring is best but it's OK to do it in the early fall too. When I find a nursery that carries these I'll be sure to get the full skinny.
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