Crossword Genius

Like trees in spring, chum? (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

buddy

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'chum?' is the definition.
(I know that buddy is a type of chum)

'like trees in spring' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'like' could be 'y' (similar in meaning) and 'y' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'budd' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for buddy that I've seen before include "Best friend" , "Friend, pal" , "Chum, sidekick" , "Friend (mainly US)" , "Close friend (US)" .)

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