Please help identify and diagnose my tree.

[AMLK]

We bought our house coming on for a year ago, so it is only now I have seen our tree throughout all seasons, but I am still struggling to identify it. I think it maybe a weeping mulberry - but I could be totally wrong. We love this tree because it shelters peoples view into our french doors, but does not hamper our view out. It is also a perfect haven for our cat to hide under.

The main problems we have are 1) that something is happily chomping away at the leaves (probably caterpillars - we seem to have an influx of white butterflies), but there are no marks on the underside of the leaves. I don't mind this too much, but makes the tree look slightly unsightly.
2) last summer the wasps loved the tree, it was constantly covered in them. Since the tree is in fornt of out french doors, we had a problem with them coming in the house when we had the doors open. This is the major problem that concerns me because firstly my daughter is petrified of them due to being stung last year, and secondly I don't know if I am allergic to them (my Dad is, and I have never been stung).

Please could anyine help me? I would like to know what the tree is so I can look after it properly. Also I would love not to have the wasps back this year and subsequent ones.

Here are some pics:


The last remaining flowers - it flowered in April

Close up of the leaves

The eaten leaves - it is a lot worse than this now.

The fruits of the tree that appeared at the end of the flowering I think


Thanks in advance for any suggestions, and apologies for all the waffling.

[Gnits]

That looks like a flowering cherry (there are rather a few hybrids etc) the damage to the leaves looks like a combination of leaf miner bee (the edges cut out) or if the leaves are really low down it could also be a vine weevil but not likely. The holes are called shot holes and happen before the leaves are out fully and are still all curled up in the bud - can't remember what causes them though - sorry!

[Mr GrimNasty]

Yes it is definitely a weeping ornamental cherry (there are lots!) and looks generally very healthy.
Yes most of it looks like caterpillar/beetle type damage (rather than holes from any blight/canker type fungus/bacteria), have a close look under leaves, down stems, at the base.
Doesn't look like a major issue now but if it looks like it's building up year on year, you might want to spray it.

Edited by Mr GrimNasty on Sunday 8th May 18:25

[AMLK]

Thank you both. I am surprised at it being a cherry tree as the flowers were few and far between, rather than covered in blossom as I always associated with cherry trees.
I have checked the underside of the leaves, stems etc and I see no signs of fungus or such like, so I was hoping the damage wasn't a big problem.
Any reason the wasps were particularly attracted to the tree, and should we expect the same this year?
Thanks again.

[Mr GrimNasty]

The wasps may have been hunting whatever was causing the damage, they feed their larvae on caterpillars etc. and may eat them themselves, or they may have been attracted by flower nectar or honeydew from aphid activity.

[Flintstone]

Ornamental cherries are generally no good for fruit either, they taste foul. I'm about to dig mine out.

[Mr GrimNasty]

Yes you need a proper edible fruiting variety for consumption - if the birds will leave you any. The pigeons are busy destroying my best tree at the moment ripping all the green fruits off along with all the fruiting spurs for no reason whatsoever other than mischief. And as soon as the cherries start to colour the blackbirds and starlings will descend to finish the job. So you're probable best off with a small trained tree that you can net.

Everybody ignores the fruit of ornamental cherry plums like the Purple Leaf Flowering plum though which is extremely common in urban planting - and they are rather nice to eat, although fruit production is often quite sparse.