In the UK, there are a number of hawthorn species and hybrids, but monogyna and laevigata, the Midland Hawthorn, are the two most prevalent. Both can grow into shrubs or more like trees, with monogyna typically being the more upright of the two. The berries are an excellent addition to jellies and jams because they contain a lot of pectin, which helps them set. The berries make a fine jelly on their own, and just the juice from crushing and sieving the berries will set up quickly without the use of heat. If the berries are exceptionally sweet, no sugar is necessary; otherwise, add sugar to taste. Hawthorn creates a particularly strong barrier that is nearly impossible for people and large animals to get through.
Mayday trees the beautiful bullies of the North Authors Lori Fox T
The City of Whitehorse propagated seedlings from the “Martha Black” Mayday tree, an exceptionally attractive specimen which graces the front yard of Whitehorse City Hall. The tree is considered a small piece of Yukon history, as it originally grew at the First Avenue home of Martha Black, also known as the Yukon’s “First Lady,” an American-born white settler who came to the Yukon via Alaska and the infamously difficult Chilkoot Pass and went on to be the Yukon’s first woman member of Parliament, serving from 1935 to 1940. The tree was moved to city hall to honour Black, who died in 1957.
The Martha Black Mayday is slated to be cut down as part of the construction of a new city hall sometime in 2022. Martin Paquette, crew leader for the city’s parks and recreation department, said that the tree is also nearing the end of it’s natural lifecycle, which is “naturally fairly short” at about 60 to 70 years, and would die in the near-future even if it wasn’t cut down.
Although there are slight environmental and climatic differences between the Yukon and Alaska that could affect the invasive tree’s success in either area, it is difficult to say with certainty whether Mayday trees have any particular effects on the Yukon’s environment because no Yukon-based research has been done on the matter.
Around 300 seedlings were given away in a publicized event in which residents were invited to “take home a piece of history.” Residents literally lined up around the block to receive a seedling, and although the event was scheduled to run between 12PM and 2PM every single seedling had been spoken for by 12:30PM.
Additionally, the seedlings were packaged with information on how to properly care for them, including how to water and fertilize them.
When questioned, Paquette stated that although he and the city were aware of the tree’s invasiveness, they chose to propagate this particular specimen because it was “a very emotional tree” for the people of Whitehorse and had “historical” value. They had to strike a balance between the tree’s potential for invasion and its perceived legacy for Whitehorse residents, and they chose to prioritize the tree’s historical significance.
Both the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Taan Kwäch’än Council, whose ancestral lands the tree has been scattered across, were contacted by Arctic Focus, but neither government had anyone available to comment on the situation.
Paquette said the demand for seedlings from this particular tree was so great that the city plans to propagate and give away more in the future. Although Paquette said the city would not be planting anymore Mayday trees on city property, Kulych told Yukon News that seedlings from the Martha Black Mayday tree have been harvested for use in landscaping for the future city hall and that the city has “every intention” of “continuing the Martha Black story and lineage of that Martha Black tree in the new services[1] building.”
Jim Renkert, program coordinator with Alaska Community Forestry, expressed surprise when told Whitehorse residents were not only not being instructed to kill their trees, but that the city was dispersing more of them. His department was offering a grant to help remove and replace the trees in Alaska.
Mayday trees (Prunus padus), also known as bird cherry or chokecherry, are native to Northern Europe and Asia, and were first imported into Alaska and the Yukon as flowering ornamentals. In the spring–usually sometime in May or early June in the North, hence the tree’s name–Maydays burst into profusion of white, delicate blossoms, similar in size and appearance to crab apples, which have a strong, sweet fragrance. In the fall, these flowers become small, dark berries – dime-sized, edible but bitter fruits shaped like cherries beloved by birds, which consume them with gusto, propagating the trees by spreading their seeds in their droppings. The trees are not only beautiful, but exceptionally hardy, capable of surviving temperatures of up to -36 C for extended periods of time, making them well adapted to Northern growing conditions.
Unfortunately, under the right conditions, the trees can become invasive, overtaking and displacing native plants – which is exactly what is happening in riparian zones in Anchorage and Fairbanks, says Renkert, program coordinator with Alaska Community Forestry. The invasive trees can form “monoculture thickets” in which Maydays have a near exclusive monopoly on the landscape, effectively “bullying” out native plants like willows and aspens –-a problem the state of Alaska has recognized for years.
This can be an especial problem for moose, because Maydays can produce cyanogenic glycosides as a defense when nibbled on. When consumed in large enough quantities, this can cause cyanide poisoning –even death – in moose, although this doesn’t happen “on a large scale,” Renkert says.
It turns out that Mayday trees behave a lot like Mickey’s magic broom in Fantasia; unless every single root is removed, no matter how small you chop them, a Mayday will just pop back. The issue with Mayday trees goes beyond their potential toxicity and invasive nature. Simply cutting down a problematic tree with a chainsaw won’t solve the issue; in fact, doing so only makes things worse because Maydays actually grow faster when they are cut back. According to Renkert, a professional should apply herbicide directly to the tree’s vascular system in order to get rid of Mayday trees.
Mayday trees have the potential to become invasive, taking over and displacing native plants under the right circumstances. (Photo: Lori Fox).
Bruce Bennett, a Yukon-based biologist and volunteer with the Yukon Invasive Species Council (YISC), a non-government organization, said via email the spread of Mayday trees, along with other invasive shrubs, is being fueled by climate change, and that he can “guarantee these exotic shrubs will increasingly spread (as) similar situations in eastern Canada and the northeastern USA have shown this could be a problem, displacing native species.”
Bennett continued, “It is hard to know when or if Mayday trees will become a problem” in the territory, in part because they are an invasive species and do not fall under the definition of “wildlife” under the Yukon Wildlife Act, so it is debatably outside the purview of the Yukon government to conduct research on them.
The moderate environmental and climatic differences between the Yukon and Alaska, as noted by Renkert and Bennett, may have an impact on the invasive tree’s success in either region. However, it is difficult to say with certainty what, if any, impact Mayday trees have on the Yukon’s environment in particular because no Yukon-based research has been done on the issue.
Although Mayday trees are “found throughout” the territory and are acknowledged to have “medium/high invasiveness,” the government has not conducted any studies on them, according to Jesse Devost, director of communications for the Yukon Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources. ”.
The Mayday tree has colonized the islands in the Yukon River in Whitehorse, and seedlings have previously appeared in open forests near Yukon University and in Hillcrest (a nearby suburb), but our harsh winter probably killed them off. It has also been seen in the Marsh Lake region, according to Devost. “We understand that the tree poses a more serious issue in Alaska due to concerns about its unchecked spread.” ”.
Renkert advised Yukon biologists to begin investigating the effects of Mayday trees in the region “as soon as possible.” ” Previous Article.
Hawthorn: Plant profile
Whitethorn, Quickthorn, May Tree, Common Hawthorn, Oneseed Hawthorn, Haw, Thornapple, and Sceach Gheal
Native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia. Very prevalent throughout Ireland and the UK, with the exception of northern Scotland
Common tree in deciduous woodland, hedgerow, scrubland and public parks.
Early to mid-spring brings leaves and flowers, and early to mid-autumn brings berries.
A deciduous shrub or small tree, hawthorn can reach a height of 6 meters. Typically, its structure is composed of a tangled mass of prickly branches. The leaves have three lobed segments and resemble parsley leaves. The flowers have five petals, are small, white, and have an almond-like scent. Although there may be more in other species, the small, red fruit only has one stone.
Midland Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) and Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) frequently hybridize. Although the two species are remarkably similar, the Common Hawthorn’s fruits only contain one seed while the Midland Hawthorn’s berries contain two. Otherwise, it might be difficult to distinguish between them, but both are edible.
Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) has dark-orange berries that appear to be somewhat similar, but the leaves are completely different.
One of Britain’s hedgerows’ most magical and enchanted trees is the unassuming hawthorn. It is regarded as a fairy tree among hedge witches because of all the customs and folklore attached to it.
This ubiquitous tree brings life to the countryside with its heady, brilliant May blossom, which turns into bright red berries in the fall, just as the tree begins to shed its leaves.