A hawthorn is a small, thorny tree or shrub that grows wild across much of North America, Europe, and Asia. Hawthorns produce clusters of white or pink flowers in spring and small red berries in fall that birds love to eat. The tree gets its name from its sharp thorns, which can be an inch long or more, making hawthorn hedges excellent natural fences that keep animals in (or out of) fields.

For thousands of years, farmers planted hawthorns along property boundaries because they grow thick and dense, creating living walls. In medieval England, entire villages were sometimes surrounded by hawthorn hedges for protection. The wood is extremely hard, and people once used it to make tool handles and walking sticks.

Hawthorns also appear frequently in folklore and literature. In many European legends, hawthorn trees mark the boundaries between the ordinary world and magical places. The tree blooms around May 1st in England, which is why it's sometimes called the “May tree” and why people traditionally used hawthorn branches to celebrate spring festivals.

Today you can spot hawthorns in parks, along country roads, and in old hedgerows. Those bright red berries might look tempting, but they're mealy and bland to people. The birds are welcome to them.