Spring is waking up the world in the Pacific Northwest. Snowdrops and aconites have been blooming for weeks now and crocuses are joining in the mix. Narcissus buds will soon be opening and at this time of the year we always look forward to the sight of 2 ancient yellow plum trees in the orchard vivid with white blossoms. But this will likely be the last year for that.
We live in a bare-land strata of 13 owners with privately-held land and 22 acres of common property. Part of that common land is a very old orchard. The original settlers on this property were a family of 4. The 1911 Census lists father, mother and 2 sons. The father gave "farmer" as his occupation. The orchard must date back to that time making the trees at least 100 years old.
Yesterday when walking to the beach with our grandson, we discovered that the recent snowstorm had brought down both yellow plums.
One tree is completely down.
The second tree is resting on one branch.
Snow in this part of the world tends to be heavy and wet. It's easy to see how the dense canopy would hold a lot of snow. The aging structures would be no match for the weight.
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| Intertwined branches make a dense canopy |
The trees are still alive and one might survive but would be badly weakened. The other will have to be removed. Every Spring for the 20+ years we've been living here we have marvelled at their beauty and I've tried many times without success to capture the vision with my camera. We will sorely miss these ancient trees.
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