Clusters of exquisite, fragrant wild apple blossoms such as these are starting to appear in the gnarly, abandoned fruit trees that grow among weeds and shrubs along old roads and fields here. They seem to be reminders of the persistence of hope, like a pink-cheeked children’s choir in a decaying cathedral.
Most of the apples from these trees were used to make cider, according to local histories. Today, they primarily feed wildlife.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 27, 2025.)