All the shadbush’s luscious red fruit are gone.

The small sweet and juicy berries that look like red-blueberries are all eaten. I had one, just one, berry. The birds seem to have eaten the rest.

Shadbush and Attracting Birds

This is the first spring that the Shadbush has fruited in any decent quantity.

I planted this single Shadbush (also called Serviceberry or Juneberry) tree three springs ago. I planted it with the goal of attracting fruit-eating birds that rarely come to my seed-filled feeders.

I want to attract Gray Catbirds, Northern Mockingbirds and Robins which eat insects, worms and fruit.

I had noticed a Gray Catbird in my garden over the past few weeks. The bird didn’t take seeds or sip water, but it did peck at my strawberries that are ripening now. I bet it ate the Serviceberries, too.

Update: In 2021 the Shadbush attracted a flock of Cedar Waxwings to my Garden, my favorite bird!

Lovely Spring Blooms

Shadbush/Serviceberry/Juneberry is one of the first woody plants to flower. When it blooms, the small white flowers seem to cover the tree in snowflakes. This native fruit tree occurs naturally throughout southeastern PA.

Why the Name Shadbush or Serviceberry?

Canada Serviceberry or Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis) in my garden. The small tree blooms just as the Shad are swimming upstream in the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers here in southeastern Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, the Shad run up the Delaware and the fish are considered a delicacy by some. It also signals the time to plant corn.

A berry named after a fish doesn’t inspire me to eat. So when it blooms in early spring, I call it Shadbush.

Apparently, it was named Serviceberry because it bloomed in early spring when the weather allowed Christian ministers conduct funeral services to bury believers who had died during the harsh winter.

Juneberry because it ripens in June.

Shadbush Facts

Amelanchier canadensis – Rose Family

Common name:  Serviceberry or Shadberry or Juneberry

Deciduous tree that turns red or yellow in autumn

Blooms in April – May, Fruit in June – early July

Moist soil, in moist woods and swamps, hybridises easily and makes it hard to identify

Insects: Insect pollinated

Host plant: to Tiger Swallowtail, Viceroy, Red-spotted Purple, White Admiral and Striped Hairstreak butterflies

Attracts: Prime fruit for many animals from birds to black bears

Medicinal uses – The Cherokee use bark infusion as a bath and given to children with worms

Food uses – mashed fruit made into cakes or dried for future use

Phenology – reliable indicator of when to plant corn

More on Attracting Birds with Fruit

The Relationship Between Birds, Berries, and Fruit

The Shadbush and Dark-eyed Juncos

Attracting Birds with Fruit Trees and Berry Plants

Attracting Cedar Waxwings to Your Backyard

What’s a Naturalist Garden?