Best fruit trees for wildlife

Important food-producing trees for birds and animals

The title of this post --"best fruit trees for wildlife" -- was a search engine query that brought someone to this blog today.

This phrase brought several thoughts to mind.

• Wildlife eat some fruits that humans don't often eat (such as dogwood and red-cedar berries).
• Some fruits that humans eat are not eaten by many animals (such as pawpaws and wild plums.)
• Some trees produce nuts and seeds (not fruits) that are important wildlife foods.
• Wildlife often eat flower buds, leaves, bark and twigs, not just the fruit, nut, or seed.

Keeping all that in mind and remembering that the word "wildlife" means everything from hummingbirds to moose, here are some great native trees for wildlife.

Ashes Aspens Beech Birches Cherries Chokecherry Cottonwoods Crabapple Devil's walking-stick Dogwoods Elms Firs Hackberry Hawthorns

Hickories Maples Mulberry Oaks Persimmon Pines Pricklyash Redcedar Serviceberries Spruces Sumacs Viburnums Willows

Sources: Hightshoe, Martin, Zim & Nelson

To obtain information that is specific to your area, contact your county extension office and/or your state wildlife conservation office. Don't hesitate to consult them. After all, we are paying their salaries with our tax dollars. Most of these public servants are pleased to be asked and very willing to help.