Wild Plum - Prunus americana

Prunus americana, also known as American Plum or Wild Plum, is a perennial deciduous shrub native to Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Michigan Flora states it is "a small tree or tall shrub often forming thickets on sandy open to forested sites; along streams, ponds, lakes, and borders of forests; fence-rows and roadsides."
 
Height ranges from 15 to 30 feet. It prefers full sun and well-drained, dry to medium soils but is tolerant of a variety of sites, including rocky and sandy soils. Needs at least part sun. This plant spreads by suckering, so either prune suckers or put in an area where a thicket is beneficial. The suckering habit may prove useful, since deer will browse this shrub.
 
Wild Plum has spring-blooming white flowers. They don't smell appealing to us, but the pollinators love them. Flowers are followed by edible fruit in summer. The 1 inch plums have yellow flesh and yellow to red skins. They are reportedly fine for eating fresh but not great. (Side note: I think we have one of these in our orchard and any fresh plum beats a grocery store plum.) They are widely used for jellies, jam, wine, and other cooked applications.
 
The leaves host hairstreak butterflies and an impressive list of moths, while the flowers are visited by many types of bees, including bumblebees, beetles, and other pollinators. The plums support everything from Box Turtles and grouse, to bear, deer, birds, racoons, rodents, and people.
 
We source this shrub/tree from a downstate nursery. While they report they do not use neonicotinoids, they do use other pesticides.