Natures Bounty

Mike Jackson · #1 (**permalink**) 25-10-2009, 06:07 PM

This year seems to be phenomenal year for all sorts of nuts and berries. I've never seen (or gathered) so many sweet chestnuts, the holly is full of berries and every other wild fruit and nut seems to be in abundance.

Given how dry we had it earlier in the year down this way I thought it would be a bad year. Anyone got any thoughts as to why it's such a good year?

aeshna5 · #2 (**permalink**) 25-10-2009, 06:29 PM

Certainly down here in the south-east we had a pretty good spring which would have helped pollination in insect-pollinated plants such as many of the berrying plants. Plenty of rain in mid-summer with warmth + plenty of sunshine later on. Maybe factors?

rangersarah2 · #3 (**permalink**) 25-10-2009, 06:40 PM

We're having a strange time with berries and things. Started picking blackberries at end of June - all gone now. Guelder Rose, hawthorn and rowan ripened really early i really good numbers but they have gone well over. Am very worried about how the birds are going to get through the winter.

Also, recently saw a rowan with ripe fruit at the same time as flowers and new leaves.

If anyone has theories about this too, I would love to know what is going on.

Amoeba · #4 (**permalink**) 26-10-2009, 10:46 AM

Cherries - they appeared about July and around here lasted a mere fortnight. Most of them fell and decayed before they were fully ripened. I couldn't find many ripe ones, a mere handful in total. I had a whole bunch of trees in mind all about the city and outskirts, but they had all failed to produce ripe cherries. One day a tree would be full of unripe cherries, the next they'd be all over the floor or brown.

So, that was strange, don't know if it's related.