Backyard and Beyond

Insect life is winding down. But on a brisk Saturday morning, I spotted some activity around fallen persimmon fruit. Blue Blowflies and Vespula yellowjackets…
Downy Yellowjacket. (First one for me, and my fourth Vespula species in Brooklyn.)
German Yellowjacket.
Green-Wood’s tiny grove of American persimmon took a hit in the big storm, losing some substantial limbs. But this year’s fruit crop is heavy, littering the ground. The distinctive bark is seen here in both sunlight and shadow.
All the books say you can’t eat these fruits until after the first frost. We hardly have first frosts in time any more. These may look ripe, but take it from me, they have to be absolutely mush or the tannins will make your mouth pucker all day long. Not that anybody can see that under your mask.