Tree ID Please :)

[simpsongal]

TD and anyone else who wants to take a stab (TD is 1 for 1 on identifying trees for me ) 

We thought it was a "volunteer" from our nearby Japanese cherry tree.  But it didn't flower and it has these odd "blooms" of long white flowers (?) now (focus on the foreground in the first pic).  The bark looks like a cherry - it has those horizontal, white striations, smooth, dark and a little shiny .  Our neighbor thinks it's a "junk cherry," which he said are native to the area, and have shallow surface roots.  He recommended we get rid of it.

[treedimensional]

Prunus virginiana, Wild Chokecherry.
Very fast growing native tree, favorite of eastern tent caterpillars, which makes it critical for songbirds (which feast upon them).
One sprouted in my front yard a few years ago. At first I was mad, because a "weed" tree was claiming the space I'd chosen for something rare, expensive, and exotic. Even tried to kill it (couldn't dig up all the root, kept coming back). Now I'm glad it's there.

[simpsongal]

Nailed it! Is there a particular reason you like the chokecherry? I'm a little hesitant to keep it because we didn't want a shade tree in the area. We were planning on planting another native tree - dogwoods.

ETA: Thank you for the advice on pruning our apple trees.  I took your advice and pruned the side branches down a good amount to let the leader take prominance.  The side are already starting fan out more horizontally - so the trees look less like brooms and more like apple trees.  Thank you!!  Now I'm seeing broom-shaped trees around the neighborhood adn I'm tempted to prune them correctly

[treedimensional]

May 16, 2013 11:01:55 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

Nailed it! Is there a particular reason you like the chokecherry? I'm a little hesitant to keep it because we didn't want a shade tree in the area. We were planning on planting another native tree - dogwoods.

ETA: Thank you for the advice on pruning our apple trees.  I took your advice and pruned the side branches down a good amount to let the leader take prominance.  The side are already starting fan out more horizontally - so the trees look less like brooms and more like apple trees.  Thank you!!  Now I'm seeing broom-shaped trees around the neighborhood adn I'm tempted to prune them correctly

I only like it because the caterpillars like it, and birds NEED those caterpillars. Other than that, I am not crazy about it. I feel bad for admitting that, because I feel selfish when I do.
The caterpillars are disgusting and their webs are unsightly. But, that tree is the only one affected. Native songbirds have decline by 50% in ONLY 30 YEARS. So that's why I am going to keep the tree. Plus it would just grow back if I cut it down anyway.

The 2nd part- you're most welcome. Once you understand structural pruning, you never look at trees the same way. It's a sickness! My H is always telling me to keep my eyes on the road because I'm always staring at trees and thinking how this branch or that branch should be reduced!

[treedimensional]

Oh... of course, you can plant a native dogwood if you want. But they have plenty of insects and diseases that don't really have critical benefit for the ecosystem, like the black cherry does. Borers in your dogwood might attract woodpeckers, but woodpeckers are quite shy and tend to peck above 30' where it's safer for them. Not dogwood height.
The spring caterpillar infestations occur when birds hatch, and over 95% of those hatchlings are fed caterpillars by their parents. Caterpillars are the #1 food source of baby birds (not counting sea birds, etc.).

[simpsongal]

I'll talk to the hubs. We do back to a rather large park and there are chokecherries and all sorts of native species back there. I noticed a gypsy moth on my knockout roses this morning - I hate those things. I wish the birds would devour those cursed stink bugs or japanese beetles.

We must be special because we have a 35ft+ spruce that the woodpeckers love!