Apple Orchard

Despite being crowded with apple trees, the orchard feels open and light from the way the trees are spaced and how short they are when compared to some of the tall pines and maples that can be found sprinkled here and there throughout the orchard. Carefully pruned bushes accent the trees since the place is cared for year-round, and if you visit in June, you'll find wild roses adding their color to the scene - and their heavy perfume to the air. In the fall, of course, the trees are golden and grow their ruby red delicacies, filling the air with their sweet scent. There's a winding dirt path that moves among the area (this many square feet), and if you grow tired from walking and carrying a basket to collect apples, you can have a seat on one of the wooden benches that were placed for exactly that purpose. Or for the purpose of enjoying a fine spring day while writing some poetry to a lover or enjoying the sight of the trees when they're frosted in the winter and never mind the cold...

Considering how well it's looked after by Willowmoor, wildlife has a hard time taking root, though there are still little critters that try to stake their own claim to the apples from time to time. The only one that's managed any measure of success are the fruit bats that come out at night to select a few choice morsels while most of the village sleeps. Bugs, of course, will always thrive in apple orchards, and this one is no exception. On the plus side, the bugs keep the birds busy and away from the apples...

And, of course, every so often a bear ambles into the orchard, drawn out by the rich smell ahead of his hibernation season. Hopefully you're not having a rest on one of the wooden benches then - unless one of Willowmoor's excellent hunters is around to take the bear down!

Apples!