Wednesday 25th June
A walk through Chopwell Woods today brought a lovely seasonal surprise for the taste buds. Not only is it always such a treat to stumble upon wild cherry fruit at this time of the year, but to be given the chance to grab a few before the birds arrive is quite a rare feat! Luckily there were several trees in abundance, with ripening cherries coming through at different stages. Plenty to share with our passerine companions.
Wild cherry (Prunus avium) is one of our two native cherry species and can be differentiated from its relative - the bird cherry (Prunus padus) quite simply by the season in which it bears fruit. Wild cherry tend to produce around June and its cherries on long stalks, are a deep red whereas bird cherry fruits in the autumn, with a black, bitter cherry that hangs in clusters. Leave the bird cherry to the wildlife, but where the wild cherry is concerned, pick away to your heart’s content.
