03.26.20 Wild Peaches

Years ago folks mentioned to me that there had once been wild peaches in our forests. I didn’t quite believe them, but then every now and then I would see a small pink-colored tree blooming in early Spring before any leaves had come out. I found one the other day, and by my reckoning it is indeed a Peach, Prunus persica, but how it got here is anyone’s guess. Perhaps grown from a pit thrown from a car window. Research revealed that peaches were brought to Florida by the Spanish, the First Peoples loved them and replanted them. Perhaps there are a few just growing wild without our help? I like seeing wild fruit growing by the roadside. I found it so comforting in Maine to see so many apple trees prospering without anyone’s attention.

USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection.