As gleaning co-ordinator I have been eagerly awaiting fruit season all year. Memories of canning, juicing, saucing, freezing and drying floating through my mind as I gear up for all the hard work. But something is different this year. Very different.

Last year, word in the garden was “What a bumper year!”. This year its more like, “I’ll be lucky if I get one baskets’ worth”. The contrast is dramatic and will be felt island-wide. Already we are at least a few weeks behind last year’s ripening schedule and many folks have let the gleaning team know they will not have any fruit to share at all.

A possible reason our fruit bounty will be less this year is weather. Galiano was blessed with a mild, early spring and thus many early fruit blossoms. Unfortunately, soon after these blossoms emerged the rains arrived and in May we had twice the average rainfall for that month. Rain may have hindered proper pollination in three ways.

Bees are our primary pollinators and bees don’t like the rain. Research shows that bumblebees will sometimes venture out into poor weather but our other pollinators such as honeybees and mason bees prefer to stay dry. Rain causes our pollinating population to plummet.

When it rains on the west coast it often carries with it that lovely greyness that people from the prairies can’t stand. Our darkened skies of May may also have decreased our pollination rate. Bees use the sun as a reference point in their search for food. When they have found a good source they return to the hive, perform a communicative “dance” full of directions and the rest of the bees inevitably find the food source immediately. When the sun is hidden the bees are less inclined to leave the hive and search for food aimlessly.

Lastly, with dampness and dew does the dandelion decide to droop. Well the same holds for fruit blossoms. Blossoms are not nearly as open and inviting on a wet day as they are when the sun is shining. In the case of heavy rain, the blossom may even be damaged. Without out a proper blossom there can be no fruit.

Of course some trees are doing beautifully this year and I am happy to see it! Let this be a reminder to all of us of the importance of diversity. With different varieties blooming at different times there should always be enough for each of us to eat a fresh apple this season.

The fruit situation seems to be on many people’s minds and I would love to hear other people’s hypotheses on why this year pales in comparison to last. Visit galianofoodprogram.ca to share your input or contact us at galianofoodprograms@gmail.com or 250-539-2175 option 2.