For the parakeets

Rose-ringed parakeets, those raucous bright emerald green birds with pinky-red rings around their necks, live in the woods behind the house. They frequently fly over the garden, squawking loudly at one another, but they rarely land. Except for November, that is. Then they flock in to land on our Siberian crab apple tree, where the ripe red fruit is a magnet for them. They are very messy eaters, seeming to drop more apple flesh onto the ground below than they actually consume.

The crab apple tree has almost finished blooming, the petals have mostly fallen, and the fruit will soon start swelling. This little cluster of stamens sits on top of where an apple will form. Half a year from now, it may be food for a parakeet. Or it may be one of the fruit that I collect - if I'm quick enough before the birds start scoffing them - to make delicious crab apple jelly.