Chokecherry sightings surge as its dark fruit ripens now
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
That scraggly shrub along the fence line or trail edge is chokecherry, and its clusters of dark red fruit are a favorite of robins, waxwings, and foragers making jelly or syrup right now.
Chokecherry is a wild shrub that grows across much of North America and produces small tart cherries in late summer. This week, hundreds of people out walking noticed it and logged their sightings on iNaturalist, which usually means the fruit is ripening and the plant is easy to identify. If you've got one nearby, birds are probably already feasting on it.
Key Findings
473 research-grade chokecherry observations logged this week, ranking it among the most-spotted plant species on iNaturalist
The spike in sightings coincides with the shrub's late-summer fruiting period across much of its North American range
Chokecherry fruit is a key food source for songbirds and a traditional foraging target for jams, jellies, and syrup
chevron_right Technical Summary
Chokecherry is having a big week on iNaturalist, with 473 verified sightings logged by everyday observers across North America. That surge signals the shrub is fruiting and easy to spot right now, a useful cue for foragers and native-plant gardeners alike.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) — 473 observations this week
chokecherry is among the most observed plant species this week with 473 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Street trees cut heat deaths by 39 percent in European cities
Trees in your local park or street aren't just pretty — they are literally keeping people alive during heatwaves, and planting even a modest number of the ri...
Prunus virginiana, commonly called bitter-berry, chokecherry, Virginia bird cherry, and western chokecherry, is a species of bird cherry native to North America.