May: Serviceberry
One of the early shrubs to flower in this neck of the woods is the Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia). The showy white/pink flowers appear in mid-April and hang around for a week or two. They are a good source of nectar for insects when few other plants are blooming. By the time this newsletter reaches you, the flowers will be gone and the ovaries will be starting to swell as the fruit develops. The fruit turn from green to red to a deep purple when fully ripe in June. However, the fruit on the serviceberry in my yard are gobbled up by a variety of birds when they are barely red.