Bird cherry
Bird cherry flowers in April–May in moist valleys, giving colonies nectar and pollen during spring build-up; a useful support plant, rarely a honey crop.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 5-15 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Bird cherry grows along streams, in forest clearings and on moist north-facing slopes, and bears drooping racemes of white, strongly scented flowers. Honey bees collect both nectar and pollen from them; the tree gives the colony a steady flow of food during spring build-up, but it does not count as a source that yields a harvest on its own.
Flowering
It flowers from late April into May, together with leaf-out, and stays in bloom for about two weeks. In cool, wet weather the nectar flow drops; on mild, sunny days bee visits rise noticeably.
Honey and pollen
No separate bird cherry honey is produced; the nectar goes into mixed spring honey and brood feeding. The pollen is valuable because it arrives just as brood rearing speeds up.
Note for the beekeeper
In Turkey, especially in the moist valleys of northeastern Anatolia, it is one link in the early spring food chain together with willow and maple. The leaves and seeds contain cyanogenic compounds; this matters for grazing animals, but no problem is known for honey.