Josephine Sculpture Park Project

Sassafras produces a greenish-yellow bloom in spring. It has one of the prettiest fall leaves. One tree can create three distinct leaf shapes, two-lobed mitten-shaped, oval, and three-lobed. Sassafras is native to our area and is a larval host for our spicebush butterfly and tiger swallowtail.

Also known as basswood, this tree is native to the eastern half of North America. It produces a pale-yellow fragrant bloom in late spring/early summer. When the tree is fully bloomed the bee activity can cause quite the buzz! It is a host for the red spotted purple butterfly and the mourning cloak butterfly found in our area.

This well-known tree is recognized for its heart-shaped leaves and vivid pink blooms that serve as a popular signal of spring’s beginning. The botanical name Cercis is derived from the Greek word “kerkis,” which means “weaver’s shuttle.” This refers to the distinctive shape of the seedpods that develop on the redbud following its blooms. It is native to eastern North America. It is a larval host for henry’s elfin butterfly in our area.

Native to eastern North America, the Pawpaw tree is known for its unique fruit that ripens in early fall. The banana-like fruit can be consumed raw or used for baking. In addition to humans, the fruit is sought out by squirrels, raccoons, and other wildlife. This tree also features a cupped paper-like purple bloom that, although not particularly showy, is quite unique. It is a larval host for the zebra swallowtail butterfly and the pawpaw sphinx moth.

This tree packs a punch in fall and winter, with bright yellow-orange threadlike blooms that form in clusters and provide a pleasing aroma on a cool day. Birds love to eat the small brown capsule-like fruit this tree produces. The common name reportedly refers to the historic practice of using the forked branches to find underground water sources, or “water-witching.” It is native to eastern North America and is a host for a variety of small moths, including the hazel dagger moth that is sometimes in our area.

Native to most of North America, the black cherry tree yields white fragrant spring blooms and fruit that is very bitter directly from the tree. Regardless of the taste to humans, the fruit attracts a variety of birds including woodpeckers, sparrows, orioles, and cedar waxwings as well as mammals including foxes, squirrels, and raccoons. The bark of a mature black cherry tree is recognizable for its rich color and deep scale-like texture. The hard red wood beneath is prized for making furniture and musical instruments. It is a larval host for butterflies and moths found in our area including eastern tiger swallowtail, viceroy, promethea moth, small-eyed sphinx moth, wild cherry sphinx moth, banded tussock moth, and spotted apatelodes.

This showy willow tree produces winter buds that are light orange in color. Soft white blooms similar to pussy-willow flowers appear in spring and are followed by fine hairy capsules in summer that release windborne seeds. This tree is native to eastern North America and is enjoyed by birds, butterflies, bees, and humans! It is a host for the acadian hairstreak butterfly and the mourning cloak butterfly, which are found in our area.

This tree is native to eastern North America. Although it is commonly called prickly-ash, it is not an ash tree, but actually part of the citrus family. All parts of the tree emit a slight lemon fragrance. It is also known as the toothache tree because reportedly Native Americans discovered chewing parts of the tree had a numbing effect that eased dental pain. Berry-like fruit produced by the tree ripens in late summer and attracts birds. Butterflies and bees are also attracted to its blooms in spring. In our area, the blooms are used as food by the adult spicebush swallowtail and giant swallowtail butterflies.

The Eastern White Pine is considered very valuable to wildlife. The seeds found in the cones are high in nutrients and loved by birds, squirrels, rabbits, and other animals. The tree also provides nesting and shelter opportunities, even for owls and eagles. It is native to eastern North America and is a host plant for the imperial moth in our area.

This spring bloomer is native to eastern North America. It not only provides beautiful color and interest, but also attracts birds. The berries on this tree mature in summer and are used to make jellies and pies. Its foliage is enjoyed by the striped hairstreak and red-spotted butterflies and the blinded sphinx moth.

The Swamp White Oak is known as a long-lived tree, capable of living over 300 years. As suggested by its name, it thrives in wet areas like swamps or river banks but it also grows in urban areas where the soil is less fertile and more compact. It is native to eastern North America. Oak trees provide more support for butterfly and moth species than any other woody plant. The foliage of the Swamp White Oak is consumed by hairstreak butterflies, and a number of moths.

This tree is native to eastern North America and has distinctive smooth light gray bark. The tree blooms in spring, with yellow-green flowers. The female flowers produce edible beechnuts, which ripen in the fall and are an important wildlife food. This tree is a larval host for the early hairstreak, which is a butterfly native to our area.

Also known as black tupelo, this tree is native to eastern North America. The blooms of this tree form in early summer and although not particularly showy for humans they are favored by bees as a nectar source. The fruits also appeal to birds and other wildlife. It is a host plant for the hebrew and cadbury’s mystique moths in our area.