Native cherries coming soon!

 It'll not be long till our native cherries are ready for picking, depending on the phenology its usually around the end of June - early July.

You'll see our native cherries everywhere over here, by the side of the roads and in the forests.

I pull up in my van all the time and pick them, drive thru fruit picking! And one day I'll be doing this with apple trees too!

What I love about our native cherries is they are one of the easiest trees to grow from seed. After you eat your cherry pop the stone directly in soil and forget about it and next year you'll have free cherry trees.

I couldn't believe the first year I did this and watched it work, its such an easy and simple way to get free trees. And our native trees is what we want to be growing for phantom planting more so than any others.

I remember one of the first posts I did about this on eating our native cherries around 4 years ago. I put up the post and thought nothing of it.

At that time I was friendly with an ecologist who I would get some advice from now and again and she would come out with me telling me what to do at times. 

She was a real dictating type of ecologist, she acted like she owned nature, like it was all hers and she says what goes.

I got a bad vibe from her but back then I was only starting phantom planting and I did want to learn so I put up with her.

We used to message back and fourth a lot and then she stopped returning my messages. I got a bit worried about her and I called to her house one day and there was no one in. I left my phantom mask in her porch as my calling card and left.

A few weeks went by and still I heard nothing from her. At this stage I was really starting to get worried.

So I called up to her house again and she was in, she seen me out her window and then she came running out the door with my phantom mask trying to slap me with it saying go away you lunatic, go away!! 

This was her words to me, I couldn't believe it!! 

She was acting like a lunatic calling me a lunatic and carried on trying to slap me with the mask. I was in shock!!!

I was adamant to find out why she was getting on like this, so I stood my ground saying whats up?? What have I done??

She then screams in a temper grinding her teeth, she was so angry looking it was scary and says to me, "Them cherries your telling everyone to eat on your page, they are for the birds". "The birds will have no food because of you she said"!!

And carried on calling me a lunatic and to get away from her door.

I remember the shock I felt driving away from her door, I've come face to face with some scary people in my life but the anger in this old womans face she could have been capable of anything. Al Capone would have had a bit more compassion than this lady!

So guys for this old ladies peace of mind please forage responsibly and make sure you plant them stones after eating your cherries. Lets get phantom planting millions more cherry trees and keep this lady and the birds happy. Deal??

She's not the first rocket ecologist I've met. But this lady did something to me. She made me want to do what I do all the more. I remember thinking that people from the hood will never be inspired by people like this to get connected to nature. Is this what we have to look up too for guidance! She would have put anyone off planting trees. 

#phantomplanter #communityspirit #nativecherry #cherry 

I challenge you to phantom plant a tree!

Peace and Love. ..