Last night it finally rained. We got a third of an inch. Not a lot but it came down over the course of several hours which likely meant that all of it soaked it. We needed it.

Weeding and scything continued in the orchard. Later I met with my orchard preservation colleagues from across the US for a two-hour zoom meeting. One of our many on-going goals is to correctly identify the historic apples we’re constantly finding. Today we were working on what we call the Sorrento apple. It’s one we’ve found through DNA profiling in multiple locations across the US. We don’t yet know its identity, but we suspect that it may be Pennock or Wine. It would be great if we can identify it someday.

Meanwhile the milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is now blooming, and I’ve seen the first Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) in the orchard. I’m eating broccoli and peas as I wait for the first apples. Although I heard today that the Yellow Transparents are dropping in Iowa, our first summer apples are still about a month away. I’ll be ready.