Deer pressure this year has been less than in years past. Consequently, the black elderberry has largely been left alone, possibly also because it is more mature, gets tougher quicker. Most plants left unprotected though will get hit. This deer below strolled through and at some point ate persimmon leaves, narrowly missing blossoms, also seedling peach leaves, and bush cherry leaves.

Squirrels and songbirds are working through the juneberry tree, feasting.

Meanwhile, the early cherries continue to ripen: Nanking Cherry, also Carmine Jewel, and now North Star, and Juliet. However, the modest frosts this year somehow took most of the blossoms and thus fruit of the cherries, with Nanking cherry a significant exception. Goumi never misses a year and continues to far outproduce the cherries, both the smaller earlier goumi and the later larger goumi.

The only elderberry variety in full bloom currently is Ranch, early, a comparatively short variety too. Persimmon continue to both bloom and set fruit. A lone male persimmon tree is acting like a lot of elderberry and has not opened its blossoms yet, well behind the females. Weber persimmon seems slower to bloom than the other American persimmons – Yates, Meader, and Ruby – as well as the Asian Jiro persimmons. Each in their own time.

American and Asian persimmon, Carmine Jewel cherry, black elderberry:

Nanking cherry, Carmine Jewel, small goumi (either Red Gem or Sweet Scarlet):