Tenacious Tupelo
Tromping through the woods surrounding Pleasant Run the other day, searching for pliable branches and vines for an ongoing exposition structure, I happened to look up towards the canopy and notice twinges of crimson amongst golden yellows and lively greens, glaucous blue jewels dangling surreptitiously below. “Nyssa!”, I proudly thought to myself, admiring its early fall color from the damp forest floor. Noticing its surrounding companions – Acer rubrum, Ilex verticillata, Liquidambar styraciflua – and the moist, heavily saturated, and admittedly iron-riddled soil hosting them, the realization of our humble black tupelo’s true hardiness came to light.
Typically found in mixed swamps, moist woodland edges, and hardwood forests around the United States, our native Nyssa sylvatica is a criminally underutilized species in our cultivated landscapes. Its deep taproot, which allows it to thrive in occasionally flooded conditions even as a sapling, makes it difficult to dig and transplant, often resulting in an inability of the tree to recover. Due to this tricky taproot, Nyssa sylvatica does best as a containerized specimen, making it a bit of a diamond-in-the-rough for nurseryfolk. Despite its penchant for moist woodland soils, black tupelo can be used multitudinously, from residential street tree plantings to public parks and ornamental gardens.
Interestingly, populations of Nyssa sylvatica have also been found in boreal forests of Northern Pennsylvania and beyond, often intermingling with coniferous trees such as Larix laricina and Pinus strobus, catering to the plentiful bird species that call that region home. Yellow-bellied flycatchers are often found in areas where Nyssa sylvatica populations exist intermingled amongst other deciduous and coniferous trees, typically in territories with Carex sp., various mosses, and cinnamon fern, which specifically provide fantastic cover for yellow-bellied flycatchers.
These birds are often found to build nests near shady, moist streambanks, where sour gum trees thrive. The fruits, which provide sustenance for these woodland birds, are known to be enjoyed by a whole menagerie of avian visitors, including but not limited to red-eyed vireos, ruffed grouses, American robins, wood thrushes, Northern mockingbirds, and cedar waxwings. Black bears, Eastern gray squirrels and fox squirrels have also been observed enjoying the fruits, while other critters utilize this fantastic tree in other ways.
Various bat species are known to roost in Nyssa sylvatica specifically, namely bats that we rarely see in our Northern zones: silver-haired bats, evening bats, tricolored bats, and Rafinesque’s big-eared bat are just some of the curious flying mammals known to take respite in these trees. Beautiful moth species such as the white and black speckled Polygrammate hebraeicum and the reddish-orange Azalea sphinx moth, Darapsa pholus, rely on black tupelo as a larval host, also providing additional sustenance to hungry birds that may opportunistically reveal them in their travels.
While black tupelos can be found nearly nationwide, it’s recently been discovered that they are undergoing a northern migration due to warming temperatures in southern regions, abandoning their once subtropical-temperate forests and heading northward to ensure reproductive success for future generations of sour gums. With its spectacular fall color and fauna-friendly fruits, Nyssa sylvatica is carving out its space in Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern landscapes as not only a necessity, but a luxury, for those lucky enough to experience it.
