Mayday / European Bird Cherry

About Mayday / European Bird Cherry in Alberta

Mayday, or European Bird Cherry, is an introduced Eurasian Prunus widely used as a hardy ornamental flowering tree in Alberta yards, parks, streetscapes, and civic landscapes. It is valued for fragrant white spring racemes and small black fruit, but its Alberta story is also strongly shaped by black knot, a widespread disease issue for Mayday and other Prunus. For ARA, notable trees are most likely mature planted specimens with neighborhood, farmstead, civic, or ornamental-history value rather than native ecological significance.

Identification: Leaves are simple, alternate, obovate to elliptic, finely serrated, and dull green above. Fall colour is usually yellow to bronze rather than brilliant red.

Alberta range and habitat: Mayday is not native to Alberta. It is a Eurasian species planted in North America as an ornamental.