Wind and plum blossoms

The blossoms pictured above are from my plum trees in my small Berkeley garden. Chinese New Year every year heralds the first plum blossoms in our neighborhood where nearly each small garden plot has at least one plum tree. In June when our trees are laden with plums it's hard to find neighbors who will take a bagful because we are all inundated with our respective plum harvests. Friends have plum jam parties to ensure the plums will be made into jam or upside down cake. Today, though is a crucial day. If the wind is too strong, the blossoms will fall before the local bees can pollinate each one. If we're lucky, we can sit below the trees and listen to the hum of bees. And we are often lucky, because neighboring redwoods and houses block the steady westerlies from the Pacific, just enough to ensure we will have a prolific harvest in late June. Not all plum blossoming trees are so lucky. Today is a windy and sunny: westerlies at 14 mph. Better than a storm.