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Blossom Time - part 2
Here are some more images of the apple blossom this year. The first photograph is a Gala tree in various stages of bloom; if you look closely you can see a bee at work. The second and third are rows of Macs in bloom. The fourth is a Smokehouse tree planted in 2008. The final two are the 2008 plantings and then the 2009 plantings, for comparison. All the trees are doing very well so far this season.
Blossom Time
Spring has finally arrived and the apple trees are starting to bloom, as you can see from the rows of Macs below or the Zestars below that.
In the photo below you can see pear blossoms, which look much different from those found on apple trees (although they are also quite beautiful), and below that is a gala tree whose blossoms are just starting to open.
Of course, blossoms mean bees and with so many blossoms in one place it is necessary to hire some organized labor to pollinate the orchard. Last Thursday (May 14) we brought in several hives of bees belonging to Ellsworth Perkins from Dexter. Mr. Perkins has very strong hives with some of the hardest working bees in Central Maine; many of his hives are currently dispersed throughout the orchard. Below you can see one of the hives and then bees at work.
With so many blossoms, honey bees aren't the only bees to be found. Here are two bumblebees pollinating the trees.
Finally, just in case you missed it, here is a link to last month's pruning photo essay.
