Species PlantsShadbush

Shadbush

Amelanchier canadensis

CommonPlant
Illustration of Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis)

Shadbush is among the first woody plants to bloom in eastern North America, its white flowers appearing in April just as shad fish run upriver—hence the name. It grows in moist thickets and forest edges from Newfoundland to the Carolinas. Its purple-red berries are eagerly consumed by more than 35 species of birds and many mammals.

Habitat
Moist forest edges, swamps, stream banks of eastern North America
Diet
Berries eaten by catbirds, robins, cedar waxwings, foxes, and bears
How common
Common

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