Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees. Charlotte Adelman

flowers bloom for several weeks from mid-spring to early summer, attracting ruby-throated hummingbirds (p. 91). Specimens that have grown in full sun and have a dense crown have a blooming period that is “almost theatrical in brilliance.” With flower panicles that are among “the most beautiful of any temperate-zone species” and its distinctive buckeye foliage (opposite, compound) appearing early, red buckeye is “among our most welcome harbingers of spring,” write Sternberg and Wilson.²⁶ Coarse, open structure (especially when the branches are permitted to fully develop to the ground), and light brown, flaky bark offer winter interest; seeds are encased in smooth orange-brown husks. One of Christopher J. Starbuck’s “Uncommon Trees for Specimen Planting.” Cultivation: Full sun best, takes part sun; moist well-drained soil. Native American Note: Toxic seeds used to drug fish, making them easier to catch. Note: Threatened in parts of North America, including Kentucky. Nature Note: See YELLOW BUCKEYE, p. 98. Zones: 4–8.

      Red buckeye flowers (Aesculus pavia var. pavia)

      Common buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia)

       More Native Buckeye Alternatives:

      See Summer Shrubs for BOTTLEBRUSH BUCKEYE, p. 130.

      See Summer Trees for OHIO BUCKEYE, p. 184.

       More Native Alternatives:

      CHOKEBERRY SPP., p. 13; FOTHERGILLA SPP., p. 27; NORTHERN BUSH HONEYSUCKLE, p. 38; OZARK WITCH HAZEL, p. 75; RED CURRANT, p. 35; RHODODENDRON, AZALEA SPP., p. 56; ROSE SPP., p. 60; SAND CHERRY, p. 17; SWEETSHRUB, p. 19.

      See Fall Shrubs for AMERICAN BARBERRY, p. 233; LEATHERWOOD, p. 232.

      See Spring Trees for FRINGE TREE, p. 105; REDBUD, p. 92..

      Forsythia flowers (Forsythia)

       Nonnative:

      FORSYTHIA. Family: Olive (Oleaceae). Genus: Forsythia. Origin: Asia. Height/Spread: 4–9 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Yellow flowers in April to May that rarely receive visits from birds or butterflies. Following bloom, forsythia shrubs have neither fall color nor other ornamental value. “Forsythia is a suburban landscape cliché,” writes Penelope O’Sullivan, noting it is “a fast-growing, multi-stemmed shrub that spreads by suckers into a huge tangled mass.”²⁷ “Oddly, or perhaps understandably, gardeners have a love/hate relationship with the Forsythia. For two weeks every year it is the darling wherever it grows. Then it is rather boring for 50 weeks,” writes Green Deane.²⁸ Cultivation: Full sun, well-drained soil, pruning. Cold temperatures and late freezes cause flower bud damage. Ecological Threat: Naturalized throughout the Midwest; SHOWY FORSYTHIA (F. × intermedia). Ecological Threat: Naturalized in the Midwest; WEEPING FORSYTHIA (F. suspensa). Ecological Threat: Naturalized in the Midwest; GREENSTEM FORSYTHIA (F. viridissima). Ecological Threat: Naturalized in the Midwest; Zones: 5–8.

      Forsythia (Forsythia)

      Clove currant (Ribes odoratum)

       Native Alternatives:

CURRANT. Family: Currant (Grossulariaceae). Genus: Ribes (includes currants and gooseberries). Note: Currants have no spines or thorny prickles; gooseberries have at least some. GOLDEN CURRANT, BUFFALO CURRANT, CLOVE CURRANT, MISSOURI CURRANT (R. aureum var. villosum, syn. R. odoratum). Height/Spread: 3–6 feet. Ornamental Attributes: A thornless shrub with conspicuous clusters of tubular, clove-scented, edible, golden-yellow, red-centered flowers that bloom for weeks from March to June. Lobed blue-green leaves turn yellow or red in late summer; edible black fruits. “Before I even noticed the screaming yellow flowers, I followed my nose.”²⁹ “By mid-April the too-little appreciated clove currant of the Midwest, Ribes odoratum, is as showy as forsythia but with the scent of a thousand pinks,” wrote Wilson and Bell, experts in fragrant plants.³⁰ Cultivation: Best in full sun, tolerates light shade. Adaptable plants grows in moist to moderately dry (in summer) soil. Two or more plants provide cross-pollination and better fruiting. Any suckers can be easily removed. Zones: 4–8; RED CURRANT (R. triste). Height: 3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Profuse clusters of red, pink, purple spring flowers followed by clusters of hard, bright red berries. Cultivation: Full sun, moist to wet soil. Note: Endangered or threatened in parts of the east coast and the Midwest. Some states ban some Ribes species, so check state law before planting,³¹ and avoid planting currants in locations where white pines are growing. Confusion Note: Red currant is not the cultivated European red currant (R. rubrum). Food Note: Golden and red currants are used in jams and jellies. Currant/Gooseberry Nature Note: The Midwest is home to many native species of currant and gooseberry. Nectar and pollen attract butterflies, ruby-throated hummingbirds (p. 91), hummingbird moths (p. 72), beneficial wasps, and other insects. The plants attract and have special value to native bees, including their most effective pollinators, long-tongued bees. Low-dwelling bird species use them for shelter and nest sites. Currants and gooseberries host 99 species of moths and butterflies, including green comma (p. 103) and gray comma butterflies and the orange-barred carpet moth. Birds eat and feed the caterpillars to their offspring. At least 16 species of birds³² eagerly seek the midsummer fruits, including cedar waxwings, which—having waited until late in the season to nest—feed their nestlings mostly insects at first, but soon add fruits. Brown thrasher (p. 219), American robin (p. 62), northern cardinal (p. 61), blue jay (p. 79), ruffed grouse, mourning dove, and bobwhite quail also eat the fruits, as do red fox, eastern chipmunk (p. 94), other small mammals, and people. Zones: 3–8.

      Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla

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