Where did this odd ball come from? Picking apples at a commercial apple farm near Mondamin, Iowa has become an annual fall ritual for me and the fam. Clean country air, several varieties to choose from, and lots of fun.
I found this half yellow, half red apple in a row of Chieftan apple trees; Chieftans are a red variety, all red, like all the other apples in the basket. Several rows of Chieftan apple trees on either side of where I found this mutant, and rows beyond that were also red varieties, so how did this one apple get a yellow side to it?
It makes you wonder how the bees keep everything straight. Really … think about it. Thousands of apple trees, several varieties and a gazillion blossoms to pollinate. How do bees know where to deposit the pollen they carry so that Mother Nature’s plan is properly executed. I suppose one radical extremist bee took pollen from a yellow apple tree, broke formation, went AWOL, and took it upon himself to pollinate this one blossom on the red apple tree … just to be different.
Thought for the Day: In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. Aristotle
Quick. Harvest the seeds from that mutant apple. Plant them, let them sprout and nurture the young tree. Wait around for 40 years and tell me what kind of apples it grows.
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