Cherries in Bloom

Here's a closer view of one of the many cherry trees blooming around the region right now - this one about a block from my house on my usual Maisie-walking loop.

And, speaking of closer looks, here's an intriguing interconnection I learned about in the local paper this week. Cherries (and the other tree fruits grown here: apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums) depend on insects for pollination. Honeybees, mainly. The blossoms have a short window in which pollination can take place - for example, four days for tart cherries. But the bees fly only when the conditions are right. Temperatures above 50 degrees, sunny, little wind. So a good crop depends on the weather and the timing of blossom development lining up just right. This past week, a cold snap apparently had growers worried - not just about frost damage to the blossoms, but also about whether the bees would get busy doing their part. It's a wonder it works at all! Knowing this, I guess I'll be that much more appreciative when I see and taste the fruit later this summer.