Crabapple Is A Pleasure

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - As we were leaving a parking lot last week, my mom asked, 'What are all those birds doing in that tree?' They were feasting on crabapples.

It made me wonder, why don't we all have a crabapple tree or three in our yards? Three is a great idea actually - crabapples look great as a grove and don't get too tall so they don't interfere with overhead wires.

Crabapples are covered with flowers in spring, then their leaves unfurl, welcoming hundreds of members of the butterfly family - as well as all kinds of birds - to raise their babies in your yard. And now in autumn, when they're decorated with dangling dainty apples, you can gather some to make jelly, or just sit back and watch all your feathered friends, squirrels, chipmunks and other cute critters eat and enjoy.

Planting a crabapple tree is one of the easiest ways to make your yard pretty all year - and make yourself and so many other living things around you happy too.