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April 22, 1962 - Shadbush Shadbush Exclusive Sunday Review Sketch by Dennis Puleston of Brookhaven Focus on Nature by Paul Stoutenburgh As I am writing this it is still cold and windy out. The sky has lost its lustre and turned to a gun - gray overcast. It's funny how the weather plays such an important part in our own person - al outlook. A week or so ago when every- thing was spring and sunny, everyone was bright and life seemed to be bubbling over. You could feel the growth of things all about. How I long for the true spring day when the ground will seem spongy underfoot and the old oak leaves will talk back as you pass along the old familiar path in the woods that is such an inspiration. One such path down near the creek by our home is a favorite of; mine for here I look for the first sign of shadbush to brighten the countryside. Earliest Blossom This bush, or tree gives us our earliest mass of blossom. It is too bad it lasts for such a short time. This period of blossoming is something like the Fourth of July when the fireworks light the even- ing sky. There is a tremendous burst of bloom and -everywhere we look we see clusters of white brightening the woodland. Then, in a few days it is all over. The frail white petals that made such beautiful clusters have been re- placed by green leaves. But this is the price we pay for this spring beauty. First the flowers - - hen the leaves. Most of us know that the name shadbush comes from the fact it was during this time of blossom- ing that the Indians knew the shad were running in the rivers. How else could the redman tell when to hunt or fish without his calendar of events such as these. The seasons for the Indian were make up of the flying duck, the hibernation of animals, and the flowering of trees and plants. Not only did the Indians know this shadbush: for its forecasting of the run of fish but they knew it also for the sweet crimson - purple berry that later develops. And I am sure that they, like ourselves, knew the spots where these trees grew and when the time for ripening came they set out to pick the fruit. We are told this fruit was pulverized and dried and later use4 during the winter but I am sure, if the Indian ,children were like my own when picking strawberries or cherries, that more than a good share were devoured immediately. - For Cake; and Pies Even in the olden days there are records of the shadbush, or serviceberry as it was known then, being used in the making of cakes and pies. It was used something like our blueberry, Which it closely resembles. The large tree in our front lawn still produces its share of these tasty berries. This tree is so high that we are unable to pick the berries and therefore it is a spec- ial delight to the birds. The. ro- bins and catbirds and other wild - berry eaters find this source equally as inviting as the local cherry trees. This inaccessibility of some berries proved very disastrous a half century or more ago for like so many thoughtless people, berry htlnters would cut down the trees merely to get at the berries. Hence, in some areas these trees nearly disappeared. Height of Shadbush Shadbush grows to considerable height in some localities but here on the Island usually 10 to 12 feet is average, although as I said' before we have one in our yard that is probably 25 foot tall and there are records that go as high as 60 foot. Should any of you ever come to our woods, you will find it made up mostly of hickory and when we were putting up our house we left as many trees around as possible: Now as you know hickory trees grow straight up and our shad sticks out like a sore thumb for it breaks this rule. It slants to one side and then up and out. Many people have asked us why we don't cut down "that crooked tree" but those of you who have come to know the shad will know why we left it. Besides, it makes a wonderful tree for our children to swing and climb on. Because the shad prefers a sandy soil, it makes an excellent shrub for natural landscaping. As I mentioned before in reference to the tree in our front yard, the shapes of the shad are usually erratic and remind you some- what of a Japanese planting. This adds to their beauty an grace and makes the shadbush one of our outstanding spring de- butantes. FIELD OBSERVATIONS L R Ernest reports: North Sea — April 8 Great Blue Heron (4) Water Mill — April 9 Tree Swallows East Hampton — April 9 Savannah Sparrow Montauk Point — April 9 Snowy Egret Myrtle Warbler (2) Kingfisher Dennis Puleston reports: Brookhaven — April 12 Double -crested Cormorant Shinnecock — April 14 Semi - palmated Sandpipers Quogue Sanctuary —April Pine Warblers (2) Brookhaven — April 14 Fish Crow Yaphank — April 15 Ruby - crowned Kinglet (4) Yaphank — April 15 Wilson's Snipe Rusty Blackbird (2) Wood Duck (4) Southaven — April 15 Brown Creeper Brookhaven — April 16 Chipping Sparrow (30) (20) 14 Please send all Field Observa- tions and comments to Paul Stoutenburgh, RD No 1, Box 105, Bay Avenue, Cutchogue, N Y.