Shad (Amelanchier)

The flowers of this tree appear before the leaves fully appear in spring.  The flowering coincides with the migration of shad ((Alosa sapidissima) and alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) upstream from the ocean.  This tree is planted next to Taylor Pond where in the summer thousands of juvenile alewife pass by in sinuous schools along the shoreline.  Often called Juneberries, the genus Amelanchier all have small fruits in June that reportedly taste great raw or cooked in pies and jams.  The five white petals and the miniature apple-like fruit all provide the clue that this genus belongs to the Rose family.  People have observed over 40 species of birds and many mammals that seek out the fruit.  All summer birds will perch in my tree and consume the fruits long before I can enjoy them.  Often a flock of Cedar Waxwings will take up residence until the nearby mulberry starts to produce fruit.  Seeing the shad flower reminds me to head down to the coast to watch the alewife migrate in huge schools up coastal rivers.  Unfortunately, because of dams on the Androscoggin and Little Androscoggin Rivers, to reach Taylor Pond the alewifes have to be shipped up in trucks.