Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/02/16

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Subject: [Leica] A very fleeting blososm
From: drodgers at casefarms.com (David Rodgers)
Date: Thu Feb 16 12:38:26 2006

Adam wrote:

>>We've had extraordinarily warm weather, a few records set, so the
trees are blooming. This almond tree in the back yard has had a
fabulous blossom set.

But tonight we're going to get a freeze, down into the 20s, so these
blossoms are fleeting:

<http://www.adambridge.com/Photos/2006/02/15/AlmondBlossom.jpg>

Adam, 

Very nice shot Adam. I'll bet the bees were working feverishly. 

Having grown up on an almond orchard in the SJ Valley I know well that
early warm weather is a farmer's nightmare. The blossoms develop too
early. Then a freeze hits and zaps the buds and there goes your crop.
Bulk almond prices go from $1 to $3 per lbs in the blink of an eye. Or
at least that used to be the case. Today the California Almond Growers
Exchange stores millions of lbs to control supply and even the markets.
I think almonds are now always around $3 per lbs. Or at least never
below $2. 

Sometimes a freeze can be very localized. I've seen one orchard lose a
crop and an adjacent orchard seem unaffected. Sometimes one degree can
make all the difference. Thus the big windmills in the orchards, to mix
up the air. I recall as a kid seeing diesel burning smudge pots
blackening the sky. The orchards looked like they were on fire. I think
the EPA put an end to that practice some time ago. When Easter is late
you're more apt to get a later freeze, and farmers really sweat things
out. I think Easter is late this year. 

People don't realize that the microclimate in California's Central
Valley is incredibly unique. Gorgeous sandy loam soils. Many rate 100 on
the Story index, which is the highest possible soil rating. Walnuts are
the most picky and really only thrive on the best soil. That's why you
find walnut orchards along the rivers. Almonds like more sand and less
loam. California also has remarkable irrigation. Too bad so much
incredible farmland is being lost to  construction. 

I don't miss the tule fog. Only those who've lived there can truly
appreciate it. I've seen times when I literally couldn't see my hand in
front of my face, or I had to drive with my door open so I could see the
center line. The fog keeps the orchards cool and in the 40s, even when
it's in the 70's at a few hundred feet altitude. So the orchards remain
dormant and don't bloom too soon. Without the fog you wouldn't have the
orchards. It doesn't seem like there's as much fog as there used to be.
Nor is it as dense. Perhaps more people are now heating up the place
:-). 

I remember how we used to go to the mountains to get sunshine, because
the fog would remain for weeks. We spend the day skiing in T-shirt
weather and then go back down into the valley and freeze.  

I don't think the buds are quite developed enough yet and they can
survive a freeze. It will get very critical in another couple of weeks
when they start to develop.  

Agricultural photography was my thing for a time. In the 70's I did a
lot of work for Chevron Chemical and the Ortho Lawn & Garden books. 

DaveR