How does serviceberry care for us?

Serviceberry, named for its delicious berries, is also known as Juneberry because the berries ripen in early June or Shadbush because Native Americans noticed that they grow near shad runs in which fish were harvested.  This tree tells us so much about the phonology of our ecosystem.  A kind of seasonal clock in the form of a tree, serviceberry not only tells fishers when shads are spawning, but also the time for burial services when the ground had warmed enough to dig, and now even the timing of gypsy moth nesting.  

We can find serviceberry not only from their berries, but also their smooth gray bark, their profusion of white fluffy flowers in early spring, and their purplish bronze leaf color in fall.  Perfect for crowded sidewalks and small urban gardens, Serviceberry rarely grows more than 30’ high and their small leaves make for a delicate understory tree.  Unusually, their flowers come out before their leaves, taking advantage of the sunlight before the canopy shades them out. While they do grow in shady areas, they flower and berry out much more robustly in sunny spots.

Scientist and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer writes:  “Gratitude and reciprocity are the currency of a gift economy, and they have the remarkable property of multiplying with every exchange, their energy concentrating as they pass from hand to hand, a truly renewable resource. I accept the gift from the bush and then spread that gift with a dish of berries to my neighbor, who makes a pie to share with his friend, who feels so wealthy in food and friendship that he volunteers at the food pantry.”

This view into the richness of serviceberries contributions and generosity in their ecosystem is a lesson for us in this time of climate crisis.  How can we too offer generously to our neighbors and reweave the frayed threads of our interconnected and resilient communities?