Food for birds and squirrels... or is it? Not all the crabapple trees produce fruit appealing to wildlife. Some trees retain their bright red berries throughout the winter. There are many, many types of crabapples as can be seen if one walks around the garden and the adjacent arboretum, with fruit ranging in colour from purple, to pale red, deep scarlet, and a yellowy orange. Much of this will be eaten in time by wildlife, but some crabapple trees have been developed with unpalatable fruit so that it will stay on the trees and provide colour all winter.