Black Cherry

Black Cherry is a deciduous fruiting tree native to Ontario. In mid-to-late spring, it produces pendulous spikes of white flowers that ripen by late summer into dark purple-black fruits. The cherries are very bitter and fairly inedible off the tree, but can be used to make preserves. Black Cherry is also highly valuable to wildlife; the flowers are a food source for pollinators, including native bees, the fruits are consumed by mammals and birds, and it's the larval host for more than 450 species of butterflies and moths. 

Black Cherry grows best in full to part sun with fertile, moist, well-drained soils. The trees develop a taproot and should not be transplanted once established.