The lightness of trees

As we enter the month of May with the orchard straining under quinces, apples, pomegranates, plums and guavas, the time has come to harvest the final crops from most of the fruit trees.

Some of the autumn leaves on the quince trees resemble the bright yellow of the heavy fruit that draws the branches downward.

With a blessed season, we had healthy harvests from all the trees. The fruit flies are found only far and in between in the bait traps. We might have turned the tide on the destructive Mediterranean fruit fly. Hopefully next year will even be better.

With all the quinces and apples harvested, the branches of the trees have lifted. They look lighter and seem to heave a sigh of relief that their fruit bearing season has come to an end.

The garden feels lighter as well. In a month’s time, most of the trees would have started losing their leaves. ‘Touch wood’, I have not noticed the white fly infestation experienced in previous years in the pear trees this year.

The bulbuls and the Cape white eyes looked surprised as they go about the bare apple tree where they were still feasting on the yellow sweetness of the Golden Delicious apples the previous day. Their alarmed twitter fills the orchard but I am sure that they will soon move on to the white and pink guavas.

For now we revel in the abundance of fruit that fills the house and garden. The bowls and baskets have taken the weight off the branches. We will miss the abundance of summer but it is time for autumn.

We celebrate the lightness of the trees as their leaves flutter downward in the breeze.