An apple

In our twenty-one summers looking at this apple tree, it has produced bumper crops twice. By bumper, I mean more than, uhh, three or four dozen apples. Most years it has produced less than half a dozen. And for the past three or four years, it has produced none.

So today we were surprised to discover, count 'em, five apples growing. None is bigger than about 4cm yet, but we've got hopes.

I think it is an old Yellow Transparent. It probably found its spot in our garden when someone tossed a core down by the fence sixty or seventy years ago. There's a smaller one next door.

Yellow Transparent is a Russian apple (apparently called White Transparent in Britain). A few generations ago, it was a popular apple here for its short fruiting season.

Trouble is that it is susceptible to a variety of rusts etc. and there've been years when disease got this one's crop.

Another trouble is that it blossoms so early it often misses the big swarms of pollinators. Our June was warm though, and at least some bugs got to this one.

Fingers are crossed.