Cherry Plum blossom - 13 March 2018
Cherry Plum blossom - 13 March 2018

Cherry Plums

Yes, it’s February as I write this. These wonderful plums, also known as Mirabelles, are ready to pick in around August, but there is good reason for mentioning them now – they are in flower. The pretty blossoms are distinctive, there’s nothing else to confuse them with at this moment and you can spot them as you drive past at 60. If you track them down now, you can head back later in the year for their fantastic fruit. Get your skates on though as the Blackthorn will be out before too long. Yes, it’s still worth knowing where Blackthorns are for your Sloes, but Cherry Plums are less common. The focus of this post is telling them apart. One blog I found gives one possible way:

The simple way to tell the difference is to plunge your arm vigorously into the bush and wriggle it about. If it is covered in bloody scratches when you retrieve it, odds are it was a Blackthorn…
You will be pleased to know that there are other, pain-free ways of telling them apart, admittedly they are a bit more complex.

Cherry Plums

Cherry Plum blossom – 16 February 2019 (note the open leaves are on Honeysuckle. One unopened Cherry Plum leaf visible middle left.

Flowering period: Can flower as early as late January, but can carry on into March and April

Twigs:  The young twigs are hairless and distinctively green. Bark dark grey. No spines.

Flowers / leaves: The leaves develop at the same time as the flowers.

Habitat: Scattered, but locally frequent and easily overlooked when it grows in hedges with Blackthorn but given away by the early flowering. Can make a small tree (up to 8 metres). They are non-native, and sometimes used for landscaping or highways planting.

Appearance: Distinctly wispy with slender branches and twigs.

For more information on identifying Cherry Plums see this Woodland Trust page.

Blackthorn

Blackthorn blossom - 16 April 2018
Blackthorn blossom – 16 April 2018

Flowering period: March – April

Twigs:  The dark brown / black bark is smooth, and twigs form straight side shoots, which develop into thorns / spines.

Flowers / leaves: Flowers appear before the leaves start to show.

Habitat:  Grows naturally in scrub and woodlands, but commonly used in hedges. Can grow to 6 or 7 metres tall.

Appearance: Usually an impenetrable mass of very spiny straight-branched bushes.

For more information on identifying Blackthorn see this Woodland Trust page.

 

by James Feaver

I have had a long term interest in wild food and foraging. This started in childhood with finding edible crabs and lobsters on the Gower coast of South Wales. The outdoors has always been my natural habitat with a passion for almost all aspects of natural history and its conservation. As a keen amateur botanist I have undertaken vegetation surveys of nature reserve for a number of Wildlife Trusts. I have been interested in fungi for many years and a member of the Cotswold Fungus Group and more recently the Dorset Fungus Group.

In 2008, regular requests to take people foraging lead to our Spring Greens. This sold out in no time and more were added to meet demand. The range of courses has been increased over time adding fungi, "fruit and nut" and a range of seashore courses. I now live in Dorset and work full time on foraging courses and a truffle hunting business (The English Truffle Company).