The peach orchard

Today in a brief break from the gloom I ventured up to the peach orchard as a side trip while doing errands. Which would consist of procuring a fiberglass tape measure for youngest daughter's excursion to Hoga Island to study coral reefs, and acquiring ingredients to cook her favorite dinner before she is subjected to the horrid prospect of not much to eat but fish, which she loathes.

First just out of nostalgia here is a picture I drew of 2 older daughters in the very same peach orchard of which I write, oh so many years ago when they were very little girls.

Today was a bit scary. I couldn't get very close because the orchard is now fenced for deer so I had to peer and take pictures through the wire (and probably will have poison ivy rash all over my feet for that). I can't really say much about the look of the trees because they are always harshly pruned to force them to produce fruit.

But I can report that there were far more peaches on the ground than on the trees. At this stage they are small, about the size of a walnut. And many of those on the ground are red. Fruit ripening early and dropping is not a good indication for harvest.

No wonder Farmer John looked nervous.

A click on a photo and this will become clear.

Also I have some garden pictures, the first of the day lilies have begun to bloom. Somewhere in the mix (I don't seem to have any control over which picture appears with what text so it's all a jumble!) is my Robinia p. contorta, which is a locust with an odd habit to most non-latin name literates. Oldest daughter absolutely loves this tree, because it is TWISTED, see? Make of that what you will!

In any event, it had seriously wilted by the end of last summer in the dryness and heat, and this year as I expected, and am sad to confirm, it is barely leafed out. Some branches have no leaves at all and those that are present are half the size they should be. Really stunted. What's more, the leaves are dry and thin as paper and when I shake them, they drift down to the ground.

What else?

A couple of horse chestnut trees represent the condition of their species, as does a pair of willows.

A close up of the leaves of wild cherry, limp.