Early blooming native trees provide many benefits to the landscape and native pollinators.

Native pollinators rely on early blooming plants as an important food source. These trees help satisfy pollinator’s needs for carbohydrates, which they use to fuel activities like foraging and nest construction.

They can support our pollinators in another way, too, by providing a food source for native butterfly and moth larvae.

The larvae of most native butterflies and moths have specific diets, and the plants they require are referred to as host plants. Many of our native trees are host plants for many species of butterflies and moths.

Consider adding one of these native plants to your landscape. Within each species you will find different varieties and cultivars.

Once you choose the tree species you want, take time to look at different varieties and cultivars to be sure you get the right tree for your location and the color, size and habit you desire.

Red maples

(Acer rubrum) are among the first trees to flower, and though their flowers are not large or showy, they still provide nectar for pollinators.

This easy-to-grow tree grows from 40- to 120-feet-tall with a spread of 30 to 50 feet. Appearing before their leaves, their red flowers grow in short-stemmed, hanging clusters. Red maple is a host for the imperial moth.

Serviceberry

(Amelanchier spp.) can be grown as a large, multi-trunked shrub or a small tree, reaching heights up to 15 feet. It will grow in full sun to full shade, but those grown in full sun will have the best fruit production.

Serviceberry forms root suckers that will naturally cause the plant to form a small shrub-like colony. To grow as a tree, it must be pruned, which is best done in the fall to avoid excessive loss of sap.

The five-petal, white flowers grow in clusters and typically bloom in mid-March to early April before the emergence of their leaves. Their flowers usually last only about one week but are a nectar source for bees and other pollinators.

Serviceberry is a host plant for more than 120 species of moth and butterfly larvae.

Black cherry

(Prunus serotina) is a later-blooming option. It prefers full sun. If left untrimmed, it grows 60- to 80-feet-tall but can be grown as a shrub by cutting it to the ground every two to three years.

Coinciding within the emergence of its foliage, drooping clusters of small, fragrant, five-petal, white flowers, three- to six-inches-long, appear in late April to May. Round, dark purple fruit follow the flowers and mature in late summer. All parts of the plant are toxic except the fruit. Black cherry is a larval host for several butterfly species.

Eastern redbud

(Cercis canadensis) is a small understory tree that grows up to 30-feet-tall and 20- to 30-feet-wide. Bright pink flowers, bloom as early as March, before the leaves appear. It prefers partial shade to full sun.

When planting, give special consideration to site selection, as redbuds do not tolerate root disturbance. Five-petal flowers are 1/2-inch-wide and grow in clusters of four to eight on leaf axils, branches, and even the trunk.

Bees, butterflies and other insects feed on the nectar, but only long-tongued bees reach the nectar-producing structures of the flower. Eastern redbud is a larval host plant for 12 butterfly species.

Flowering dogwood

(Benthamidia florida) is a small understory tree that grows 15- to 25-feet-tall. It will grow in full sun to part shade. The four white or pink notched petals appear before their leaves in March through May. These are not flowers but are two-inch long bracts or modified leaves.

The true flowers of this dogwood species are found in the center of the bracts and are small and greenish-yellow.

Despite their small size, these true flowers support many specialized bees and is a host for the spring azure butterfly.

“Growing Green” is contributed by Diane Dorn, Lehigh County Extension Office Staff, and Master Gardeners. Information: Lehigh County Extension Office, 610-391-9840; Northampton County Extension Office, 610-813-6613