Wild Cherry, also called Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) trees are blooming very nicely here now. The small flowers are grouped singly on a long structure called by botanists a raceme. The whole structure is 2 to 3 inches long, and the individual flowers are about 1/4 inch wide when they are fully expanded.

This closer view of the small flowers shows that they are bisexual. The central ovary is usually surrounded by 20 stamens. Each flower will produce a small (about 1/2 inch) cherry later in the year. The cherries are edible and many sorts of wild mammals and birds eagerly eat them. Humans also consume them to make wild cherry wine, jams, jellies, and cough medicines.

Photography note: These photographs are the first I have taken with my new focus stacking system. I took 27 photographs at various focal levels in each case. Then I used a program called Helicon Focus to analyze the stack of 27, pick the in-focus part from each photograph, and combine them to produce the final product. This gives a depth of focus not possible with a single photograph.