Midsummer Cherries

As this rubbish summer tries its level best to break through, cherry trees are starting to look much more tempting. The Solstice occurs this week; it seems inconceivable that the nights will be drawing in after this…

 

As the cherries ripen on the branches, it will be a straight race between the humans and the birds to see who gets the best of the crop. It’s a good idea to keep a close eye on your favourite trees; the trouble is that the birds will tend to eat the fruit before they are properly ripe.

A lot of trees that I have noticed have small cherries on them this year. Also, many seem to have something eating the upper leaves; some seem to be missing the top third of their canopy. To cap it all, the strong winds have damaged some of the recently ripe fruit. The pictures here are from the industrial estate where I work and you can see the stone inside one cherry.
Fortunately, the kids and I still have a couple of brilliant trees, loaded with fat juicy beauties, waiting in the wings. Maybe this weekend we can give the birds a run for their money, if it stops raining for long enough...