Winter Plums
American Plum
Prunus
The American plum thicket at the Arboretum just gets bigger and thicker every year. Most folks love the loads of fragrant flowers that are the first to bloom in spring, but I think the plums are beautiful in winter when the entire thicket is covered with snow.
Wild plums are true American natives. They are not cultivated plums gone wild; they were here long before the colonists and are found in 44 states and 5 Canadian provinces. Almost everyone has had the pleasure of trying to eat the astringent fruit right off a wild branch. Although many of the big thickets have been cleaned from the cropland fence lines, you can find enough wild plums to make wild plum jelly and jam.
For most small animals, insects and birds, a large plum thicket is a miniature wildlife preserve. As I walked by the Arboretum’s plum thicket after last week’s snow storm I flushed up 2 pheasants, saw 2 other species of birds and the tracks of raccoon, rabbits and mice. For these critters, the thicket is a warm, protective place to nest and hide; safe from predators and bad weather.
Looking at the remains of four bird’s nests and the multiple tracks leading into the plum brambles, I wondered if a wild American plum thicket might be just the woody plant I am looking for in my big yard. I have a neglected, partly shady corner with lots of room for a spreading thicket. Perhaps a miniature wildlife preserve is just what the neighborhood needs.
