Our “wild” apple trees seem to be coping with the severe drought that we’ve been suffering here on the Down East coast. The fruit on most of the trees that I’ve seen looks abundant and much of it appears mature already,
By “wild,” I mean unmanaged trees that are not cared for or commercially harvested. Usually, they’re trees that were planted many years ago to produce cider apples, then abandoned and swarmed by encroaching woods and shrubs. These trees are wholly dependent on rain and other natural resources.
Wild apple trees themselves also become a natural resource for early fall foragers that are preparing for the cold or migration. Our white-tailed deer will stand on two legs to pick the mature fruit. They also eat the fallen fruit, as do black bears, raccoons, wild turkeys, squirrels, porcupines, and various small rodents and birds. In fact, wasps, ants, butterflies, beetles and other insects drink the fermenting juices.
Speaking of that, some of our birds get falling-down drunk eating fermented wild apples. I won’t name names, but these include members of a certain red-breasted family that catches early worms. They’ve been known to be a little too partial to these apples and have been seen tipping over and passing out in public here and – worse – trying to fly and crashing into things, including windows and cars.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on August 20, 2026.)