9 Reasons Why Redbud ROCKS as a Yard Tree!

are you looking for a small native tree with awesome blooms that support native bees and honey bees is also a host plant and looks great all year long then the eastern red bud cers canadensis may be the tree you're looking for Red Buds rock as yard trees and here are nine reasons why starting off with the reason Red Buds are named Red Buds they early bloom of pink to purple flowers there is no question that the prolific Blooms of the red bud are a showstopper since the blooms occur well ahead of the tree leafing out there is nothing to block the spectacular show a cool trait of the red bud is that it may also have clusters of blooms along the trunk and branches a trait known as cauliflory not to be confused with cauliflower that literally translates to stem flow in Latin if you want a burst of early color red buds Bloom from March to May depending on location it is hard to beat the eastern redbud we are going to stay with the flowers for number two those beautiful flowers don't just look good good they are an early season nectar and pollen source for Native bees such as bumblebees and especially many of the mining bees in the genus andrina which are emerging and mating when the Red Buds Bloom honey bees and the early season butterflies not only are the flowers great for pollinators but they are also edible and can be eaten raw or used in cooked dishes if you love learning about awesome native early blooming trees for your yard buzz like a bee and pollinate that like button the third reason Red Buds make awesome yard trees is their compact growth form Red Buds can get from 20 to 30 ft tall with a 25 to 35 ft spread but they are often much smaller coupled with a slowish growth rate this makes the red bud suitable for smaller spaces and yards Red Buds can grow as a single trunk tree but more commonly they have a very pleasing multi- stemmed or multi-trunked growth form no matter how many trunks it has the crown will form an attractive spreading dome which will really show off the blooms every spring coming in at number four is adaptability Red Buds have a large native range and are adapted to a variety of growing conditions that can grow in full sun to par shade with better flower production in sunnier locations form is also better if the tree receives a decent amount of light during the day in very shaded locations Red Buds tend to grow tall with fewer branches Redbud is not picky about soils if they are not too dry or constantly wet while this video is all about the Red Bud there are many great native trees that are smaller in size and do great in a yard if you would like me to cover one in a Future video just let me know down in the comments Redbud is an attractive tree even when not in bloom which is number five on this list the large deep green heart-shaped leaves look great and dance and Shimmer nicely when the breeze blows green beanik seed pods add to the show during the summer and are edible when young and can be used like sugar snap peas which they sort of resemble the reason they look like pea pods is because Red Buds are members of the Pea family the fabas this family is well known for the many edible beans and peas it produces and for fixing atmospheric nitrogen into compounds that are usable by plants interestingly the red bud lacks the ability to fix nitrogen as do around 10% of the plants in the PE family okay I totally squired off on botney nerdery back to the Red Buds good looks Redbud has cool looking red Brown Bark with whitish lenil on young stems and the Twigs the bark will Furrow and fisser as the tree matures adding interest the Twigs have a super cool zigzagging growth pattern that can be somewhat seen when the leaves are on but is much more evident in the fall and winter which leads right into number six red bud has great fall and winter interest the green leaves will turn shades of yellow in the fall and after they drop the brown mature seed pods will persist throughout the winter and a along with the growth form of the tree give it a great look even without blooms or leaves as a bonus the seeds are fed upon by many species of song birds including Cardinals and gross beaks and even some small mammals I would like to take a second to announce the launch of the backyard ecology Community the backyard ecology Community is a supportive membership Community for people in the eastern United States who love nature and want to transform their yards and communities into ecosystems that support pollinators in Wildlife just like all of you who tune in to these videos we created this membership Community as a safe place to ask questions celebrate accomplishments help each other to attract more pollinators in wildlife and to just play and geek out about nature this is far more than just a fancy Message Board there are interactive virtual events led by me and Shannon special occasions and even coaching discounts for community members if you would like to learn more about the backyard ecology Community there is a link in the description the leaves of the red are related to number seven Red Buds help support native bees Beyond being a source of food by aiding in some species nesting efforts leaf cutter bees cut circular sections of the leaves to make Nest inside cavities and hollow wood while leaf cutter bees use a variety of plants for this they seem to prefer Red Buds smooth soft and supple leaves in many areas it is easy to tell if the leaf cutter bees have been busy on a red bud due to the many nearly perfect little circles that have been clipped out of the leaves they almost look like they were punched out with a machine the leaves are also part of number eight Redbud is an excellent host plant and over 24 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars are known to feed upon it including those of the Henry's elfant butterfly and three species of moth that are specialist feeders of the red bud leaves the promiscuous angle moth the red bud leaf folder whose zebra striped caterpillars make cool little leaf tacos and a small brownish caterpillar with no common name zenopus chambersa a quick note about Leaf color there are red Lea cultivars of red bud please do not plant them if you love caterpillars as female butterflies and moths avoid red Foliage for egg L as the high anthocyanin content of red leaves is not palatable to caterpillars every time I do a tree video I get asked about resources to help identify trees and shrubs I just wanted to mention a book I recently got trees of eastern North America which is in the Princeton Field Guide Series it covers everything east of the Great Plains has a quick guide to twigs and leaves and covers all of the native trees invasive species and a ton of ornamentals you may encounter while out and about each species description includes a quick ID detailed description of the leaves bark flowers and fruit a range map conditions where it can be found growing and a super helpful discussion of similar species the illustrations are clear and show what they need to this is a great Field Guide for those of you who want a book that will cover just about anything you will run into in eastern North America at the time I filmed this it was selling for under $20 which is a heck of a deal for a book that covers so many species I will put a link to it in the description number nine on this list is availability eastern redbud is one of the most commonly available native trees in the horiculture trade they are sold just about everywhere now there are a ton of cultivars of eastern red bud many of which have been selected for Leaf color bigger blooms or different color blooms if you want the biggest positive impact for pollinators stick with the wild type they are still super beautiful and there is no question about how pollinators will benefit from them also be sure you are getting an Eastern Redbud cerus canadensis and not a species native to the Western us or even Asia as always help your local native plant nursery and get your Red Bud from them if possible there are other small native spring blooming trees and a great contrast to the pink purple flowers of the red bud are the large white Blooms of the flowering dogwood which you can learn all about in this video and be sure to get out and explore nature in your backyard

Channel: Backyard Ecology

Views: 8,645

Keywords: Redbud, cercis canadensis, Red Bud, redbud tree, eastern redbud, redbud for bees, redbud as a host plant, redbud in landscaping, eastern redbud planting guide, eastern redbud flower, redbud seed pods, redbud flowers edible, redbud seed pods edible, redbud fall color, redbud tree size, redbud cultivars, leaf cutter bees, henrys elfin butterfly, backyard ecology, native trees, native plants, native tree for yard, yard trees, best yard tree, early blooming trees, gardening

Id: nQ7Tkh8jW5M

Length: 8min 16sec (496 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 28 2024