Adam's Apples

King blossoms on an apple tree at Hutchins Farm in Concord, Massachusetts, yesterday.  ¶  First to come forth, the king blossom heralds the harvest to be.  ¶  Blogger Chris, of A Life of Apples , tells us  ❝ Every fruiting spur on an apple tree produces a cluster of six buds; five centered around a central blossom known as the King Blossom.  This blossom is the first to open and pollination of it is key in insuring good fruit set.

before after What do you want to be when you grown up? These apples are grafted, so there is really no doubt about that here. Behold the Calville Blanc D'Hiver .

Two Williams data points, one from Harvard on Sunday, another from my Williams review circa 2015.

There's an apple in there someplace. I have never had the pleasure of tasting a Hightop Sweeting, so no "after" photo this time. But isn't this one gorgeous? (And isn't that a topping name?)

Above, two moments in the life of Duchess of Oldenburg , an antique Russian variety with cooking and keeping qualities. It's a late-summer apple. A friend took this and other blossom photos in Harvard, Massachusetts, yesterday.

Is it too soon to hope On this chilly wet day in early May For the sun, and a bountiful harvest

Earlier today at two local apple orchards, blossoms are just beginning to burst forth. Starting to flower at Nagog Farm in Littleton, Mass. Some trees were all green, and others in full bloom, but most were in between.

Apples bloom at Nagog Farm on May 13. Where last year's blossoms came early, this year the orchards are just approaching peak by mid-May. A week of cool wet weather has settled in over much of New England; let's hope the blossoms stick around long enough to let wind and bees do their thing.

Orange Pippin is calling on fruit-tree growers worldwide to mark the dates of this year's blossom season in the UK-based web site's database. The effort to document blossoming takes on special significance in light of last year's unusual growing season and the threat of climate change. Join the database by opening a free account at Orange Pippin's Tree Register page.

Apple blossoms at Nagog Hill Orchard last Saturday, April 24. 

View earlier today from Peters Hill, Arnold Arboretum, Boston. Update: More than you thought there was to know about these trees here.