This is my entry for todays #colorchallenge which is green. I have chosen this apple tree as my subject. It is one of the biggest apple trees I have seen. That maybe because most people grow smaller apple trees, these days, which are easier to harvest.
This tree is not in my garden, but in the garden of the neighbour behind me. The photo doesn't really bring out just how big it is. I have no idea how old it is, but the house behind was built in the late 1800s, so it's possible that its 100 years old.
I really love this old tree and like to watch it as the seasons change. In the spring it was full of blossom and light green leaf buds, at the moment it's summer and its a mass of green leaves and small apples, in a few months it will be be adorned with ripe red and green cooking apples, in autumn the leaves will change colour to yellows and browns, followed by winter when the bare structure of the tree is visible.
I look forward to the apples that fall on my side of the fence. I collect them and pick blackberries to make one of my favourite late summer desserts, blackberry and apple crumble. Yum!
The other thing I love about this tree is the wildlife it attracts. A pair of grey squirrels are often seen jumping from branch to branch. Grey squirrels are considered a pest in the UK as they are not native and have driven out our smaller native red squirrel. But I still enjoy their antics. Then there are the birds that shelter in it all year round. At this time of year, when the tree is a mass of green leaves, they are not very visible but in the winter I can see them perching in the tree.
This old apple tree is a joy to me. I only hope that my neighbour doesn't decide to cut it down.