Wild Plum

Prunus americana

Wild plum is one of the first trees to bloom in spring. white flowers covering the branches before the leaves emerge, clouds of white visible from a distance. The fragrance is sweet and strong, carrying on cool April air. Native bees work the flowers from the moment they open. By midsummer, yellow to red plums ripen and are consumed immediately by birds, deer, and small mammals. Spreading by root suckers, wild plum forms a thicket over time that provides nesting cover, wildlife corridors, and food production all in one. The dense thorny stems make excellent wildlife habitat structure. For an informal hedge, a naturalized border, or a wildlife planting along a fence line, wild plum delivers more ecological function per square foot than almost anything else you can plant.