Crab apples are small, tart fruits with a diameter typically under 2 inches (5 cm). While often too sour for human consumption raw, they play a role in supporting wildlife. These trees often hold their fruit into winter, providing a valuable and persistent food source when other options are scarce. This makes them a significant resource for various animals, especially during colder months.
Mammalian Foragers
Crab apples serve as a food source for a variety of mammals. Deer, for instance, readily consume crab apples, either browsing fallen fruit or reaching for those still on the branches. Some crabapple varieties are specifically cultivated to attract deer, offering a consistent food source. Deer are known to visit these trees daily to consume newly fallen fruit, and they will even stand on their hind legs to reach higher apples.
Other mammals, such as black bears, also consume crab apples, often in large quantities, especially when fruit drops to the ground. Raccoons are another common mammalian consumer, foraging for these fruits on the ground. Squirrels, with their caching behaviors, collect and store crab apples for later consumption. Opossums, being omnivorous, also include crab apples in their diverse diet, sometimes even climbing trees to access the fruit. Smaller rodents such as mice and voles feed on the fallen crab apples.
Avian Foragers
Many bird species depend on crab apples. American Robins are frequent visitors to crabapple trees, consuming both fruit still on the branches and those that have fallen to the ground. These birds often switch their diet to berries and fruits, including crab apples, in the fall, allowing some to overwinter in northern areas where these fruits persist.
Cedar Waxwings are highly attracted to crab apples, often descending in flocks to feed on the fruit, especially during late fall and winter. They are capable of subsisting on fruit alone more so than many other bird species.
European Starlings also consume crab apples, sometimes clearing branches quickly. Jays and various thrush species, including blackbirds, are known to feed on crab apple fruit. Grouse and other ground-feeding birds may also utilize fallen crab apples. Birds can be selective about crabapple varieties, preferring some that soften more readily after frosts.