black cherry blues

black cherry fruits (Prunus serotina)

     yeah, most of ya'll have probably stumbled upon this title ('black cherry blues') somewhere else....oh yeah! that early j.l. burke book...........anyway, this post, as you will read, is very literally about the

 black cherry blues.

     judge rick michot -- let's call him, 'the judicial naturalist' -- called me a couple of weeks ago to report a total absence of black cherry fruits on the five trees at his place................each year, he explained, he looked forward to tasting the fruits as he roamed around his property.............................this year, though -- for the first time ever in his memory -- no fruits..........................he asked me if i had any trees around my place; and did i notice whether or not they had made fruit this year.

     black cherry is a common native tree in these parts, particularly mixed in with pecans and oaks along the old mississippi river escarpment forests (the "coteau ridge" and "terrace") as well as along the riparian zone of the present day teche and vermilion bayous........in urban settings, you often see it relugated with other "trash trees" to fence rows and abandoned lots...........black cherry begins blooming early each spring.....like late february/early march.............fruiting begins around april, and fruit maturation is staggered out from april - june or even july.........that way, it's not an "all or nothing" situation for the many MANY birds and mammals that heavily rely on black cherry fruits as a main source for spring/early summer carbs............note that very few other native plants (mayhaw and red mulberry are the only other two species that come to mind) produce fruits at that time of year...................

     between 1994-98 a couple of dozen of us kept track of wild bird/fruit interactions across the state...eventually i compiled all of this observational data into a paper that was published in the journal of louisiana ornithology............referring to that paper, under "black cherry," we listed 14 species of birds observed consuming black cherry fruits in louisiana between '94-'98..........i don't remember them species-for-species right now, but i do remember that EVERY native woodpecker species in louisiana was observed to use black cherry fruits.........and then others such as summer tanager, cardinal, baltimore oriole, etc.

     one of the most prominent of the many "bird memories" burned into my brain involved a family of pileated woodpeckers (you know -- the "woody-woodpecker" looking one, a big ol' crow-sized woodpecker with a red topknot) descended into a fairly large black cherry tree located in the campground area of acadiana park in lafayette......2 adults and 2 very young fledglings -- probably no more than a month old -- the adults (the parents no doubt...) were teaching the young about black cherries..............as i watched them learn to feed, a group of crows barged in, raising 7 kinds of hell with the woodpecker family: swooping on them and screaming loudly..............the woodpecker parents didn't flinch.....indeed, didn't even pay the crows any mind whatsoever......and so the two youngsters didn't either.........they just went about their business feasting on black cherries......................like kids with ice-cream cones, you know?

     many of us boomer locals remember picking black cherries and helping to make 'cherry bounce' a sort of after-supper cordial that was manufactured throughout south louisiana back in the day.......it was a long process.........first, you had to pick cherries; and tiny as they are, it takes a whole lotta pickin' in order to get enough for the bounce........................at our house, we'd pick about 3-4 gallons of cherries, wash them real well, drain them, and put them in a big crock.......mom would add just the right amount of water and rock candy (chunky hunks of sugar........remember? looked like hailstones or something)..........then we'd place a big dinner plate over the whole mess and weight it down.........finally, we'd cover the crock with several layers of cheese cloth and let it set there in the corner of the kitchen for several months (like, june-oct).....

     in the fall, mom would simply strain the mix through the cheese cloth, and add a quart of bourbon. that's it. i guess it made about 4 quarts of cherry bounce, in all.............the parish priest would always get one of them (he probably had a whole closet-full, because a lot of people made it....), and then probably an uncle and aunt, and then we kept one for our family.............it was a thanksgiving-christmas sort of drink...........

     anyway, after talking with rick, i finally did check the cherry trees around our place this past month.........nada..............wow................this is the FIRST year ever that i've noted no fruit on the local black cherry trees..................bummer for all of us human fans; devastating for the birds and mammals that depend on them.........................................

     if you think that life has handed you more than your share of......'challenges,' let's say.......try living the life of a bird or a possum; particularly in this day and age, when no natural area is sacred.....all are subject to the next emotionally-wounded whim of the next human 'master' of the place....................

     as days go by, my admiration and respect for all wildlings grows...........................how 'bout yours?