Allegheny Serviceberry Tree

The Allegheny Serviceberry tree is beginning to blossom. Although native to this area (southern New Jersey swamplands) and throughout North America, I bought this particular tree many years ago at a nursery and paid quite a lot of money for it right before I discovered one growing wild in my backyard! D’oh! Anyway, this is one of my all-time favorite trees with spring blossoms, red berries and leaves that begin to turn crimson in late summer/early fall. The mockingbirds love the berries and I’ve even observed them feeding them to their little nestlings. Here is a PDF file from the University of Florida Extension for more information on this wonderful tree.
I have some honeysuckle vines wrapping themselves around some branches of my tree and I’m probably going to have to make a decision to extricate them before they strangle it. I just hate to destroy any living thing…sigh…gardening is definitely not for the squeamish…

Serviceberry Blossoms